“Coffee and Friends Make the Perfect Blend"

   I found the sentiment above in a charming calendar I received in the mail from an organization hoping to lure a monetary donation from me.  The statement caught my attention and made me take notice that so many of my relationships do have a connection with coffee.

Foremost, a first date back in 1997.  We ended up at Starbucks because we couldn’t decide on a movie to see.  So we sat and talked and drank cafe mochas with whip cream.  We talked about our college classes, my hot air balloon ride with my dad, and our families.  Out of self-consciousness, I took out my wallet and showed school photos of my younger sister.  This man I enjoyed coffee with became my husband two years later.

I remember taking the subway downtown to visit an exhibition at the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles.  I don’t remember the exhibition, but I do remember spending time with my dad, on one of our “Daddy-Daughter Dates.”  And I remember treating him to his first Coffee Bean coffee.

I miss my Tuesday mornings with MB.  That was our time to lesson plan, strategize, and drink Coffee Bean.  MB and I alternated days to treat.  And when finances were tight, we improvised with microwaved hot chocolate or bottles of Starbucks Frappuccinos brought from home.  Our time had a practical purpose - we got our necessary work done.  But it was the conversations and the laughs that meant the most to me.

Both Starbucks and Coffee Bean remain favorite spots to meet friends and share heartfelt conversations.  Many of these conversations resonate long after our drinks have been consumed.  Maybe it’s the intimacy of the establishment, the small tables and chairs pushed close to each other, that requires two people to focus and really listen to what the other is saying. 

Now, as a mother, wife, and teacher, I cherish my limited “Wendy-time.”  Sometimes, this time finds me in a bookstore cafe, savoring a drink and a chocolate chip cookie.  Other times, I find myself in the neighborhood, slowly sipping, enjoying some time to read a novel and write my blog.

The funny part is - I’m not a coffee drinker.  I don’t like “regular coffee;” I drink apple juice with my breakfast each morning.  For me, these drinks are a chocolately treat.  And getting to share these beverages with someone special makes them so much sweeter!