Monday Morning Coffee

I don't know about you but for some reason my Monday Morning Coffee is the BEST pot of coffee, each and every week. There is just something about the way it greets me with its comforting aroma and holds my hand as I walk into a new week.

I know, I just gave my coffee human characteristics and powers, but sometimes, on a Monday morning, my cup of coffee is the only friendly thing in my house. Getting three kids up and ready for school can be a challenge. Looking at my calendar of activities for the week can make me want to run and hide. And sometimes it feels like it's me and my coffee against the world.

Today I have an additional challenge to overcome, there is no coffee ready and waiting for me. I forgot to get my pot prepared last night. I was at an all-day event and by the time I got home, got the kids in bed and finished a load of laundry (there ALWAYS seems to be a load in) I was drop dead tired and just went to bed.

Now here I am on the dawn of my Monday morning without my fresh pot of coffee to welcome me into a new week. Whatever shall I do?!?!

Well, I decided to start with my blog first this morning, maybe expressing my feelings will help me deal with them ;-) maybe help me get a little perspective.

Yep, it's working...

Perspective is a funny thing. If we were all to sit in a circle with a piping hot cup of coffee in the center, we would all have different things to say about it, different perspectives to offer. Our perspective would be colored by our history, our expectations, our hopes and our fears. Our perspective creates our attitude and determines our response.

Take that simple cup of coffee in the middle of our circle, what might some of you say about it:
Too Hot
Not Hot Enough
Just Right
Too Strong
Too Weak
Just Right
Not Enough Creamer
Too Much Creamer
Just Right
Too Big of a Cup (by the way there is no such thing)
Too Small of a Cup
Just Right

What is it we are looking for that cup of coffee to do for us? What void are we asking it to fill? Do we have realistic expectations for that cup of coffee? And how on earth can we become one of those people that always says "Just Right?"

I want my perspective to be one of "Just Right!" I want to be satisfied with the life I have. I want to know that things will turn out ok. I want to trust others and different situations. But first I have to release my need to control. I have to stop holding everyone else to an unreachable high standard. I have to have FAITH that things will turn out alright. And I have to be willing to accept the end result when maybe things do not go my way.

I also have to prepare my life for a "Just Right" attitude. I need to look for the positive. I have to understand that life is not Burger King and I will not always "have it MY way." I have to find the joy in the sorrow and the peace in the pain. I have to stop looking to others for my fulfillment. I have to become comfortable with the person I am, not the one I wish I was.

So here I sit, rethinking about the power my Monday Morning Coffee has. While I still enjoy starting my day with a warm cup of liquid comfort, I understand that it can only get me so far. I understand that my perspective, my attitude, my gratitude will be the things that move me forward or hold me back. I understand that I have the power to look at a situation and feel either frustration or believe the best. I do not need to do any special thing to become one of those "Just Right" people, I can make that mental switch anytime, it is all within me.

My prayer today is to be the person I want to be, not to work towards it or to plan for it, but to DO IT. I pray that my life can be a beacon of hope to others, to show them they can feel "Just Right" too. I pray that when I stumble, God will be there to pick me up, dust me off and send me back out there. I pray that you too will join me in this prayer and in a renewed perspective.

Until We Meet Again,

Drea