Cuppa

When I was growing up, one of my mother’s favorite activities was having coffee with a neighbor or two. I always wondered what they talked about as they drank big cups of coffee laden with half-and-half and lots of sugar. But I was usually outside playing with the neighborhood children, so I never really appreciated the value of a cup of coffee with friends.

As a mom who worked outside my house, I never seemed to have the luxury of having a quiet cup of coffee with a friend. Not until now, that is.

The past two Monday mornings I have shared coffee with someone I have meditated with for many years. In those two outings, I have learned a lot more about her than during our many hours of silent meditation together.

We are drawn not to Starbucks, but rather to Sidamo, a small Ethiopian coffee and tea place in the reclaimed H Street Corridor of NE DC. We sit out in the garden area behind, which seems to completely mask the street noise. Today's coffee included a piece of hazelnut biscotti with dark chocolate.

This is the friend who introduced me to the idea of beet greens. As an acupuncturist she is quite knowledgeable of alternative medicine and nutrition. She’s also interested in renewable energy sources. We never fail to find things to talk about.

Although I have greatly reduced my consumption of coffee, I look forward to this cup a week, as much for the conversation as the taste of the rich coffee.

My project for today was to get rid of the 16 bags of books we no longer need. I had originally contemplated giving them to a prison, but then found out the prison takes only paperbacks. A call to the Arlington County Central Library confirmed they would take them all between 8 and 1 when volunteers were present to process them. The books have been delivered, even with a receipt as a charitable contribution.