Tag: writeups

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#120 Coffee with John

I don’t do Japanese food.

They don’t make music like they used to.

I only listen to 80s music.

I don’t read. 

I don’t travel outside the country.

We are all guilty of making a variation of these claims. I know I am guilty of it. I only tried mussels for the first time about two years ago! 

We get entrenched in our ways without ever challenging our myopic ways, further building barriers as the years pass. Every day, we take a risk when we put our feet on the ground, yet we refuse to take small risks for no good reason; I challenge you to take the risk of letting go of your preconceived notions and self-imposed limitations. 

Unless bounded by dietary/religious/health reasons, go to that (insert name of the restaurant you have never tried); go wild and have mushrooms (not the psychedelic kind, mind you); get your passport in order and travel; listen for a whole week to different music outside your comfort zone; watch a movie you would not typically watch. Challenge your assertions and lose yourself in the experience. Do I have any guarantees or promises for you? 

Look, you may come away either reaffirming your previous assumptions or gaining a new perspective and appreciation. How will you know if you don’t dare?

Is it scary to let go and try something? Yes! It can be frightening and terrifying.  

Is it easy to let go of long-held attitudes and behaviors? No. 

That is the challenge and beauty of the unknown, waiting for us to take that step. We can expand our experience, increase brain plasticity, and enrich our lives by taking small yet powerful actions that engage us in the world.

I thank my coffee mate for Coffee with John#120 for reminding me and inspiring this takeaway. Let the unknown beckon us.

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#111 Coffee with John

The first meet-up of 2022, five months after the start of the year! How could that be? Where have the months gone by?

Probably the why is the crucial question here. Why has it taken me this long to continue Coffee with John (CWJ)?

A few answers: getting COVID at the beginning of January for the second time since the pandemic; a few people bailing out at the last minute; almost losing my toes to frostbite, putting me out of commission for a few months; and, to be honest, a lack of motivation.

The latter is harder to explain. Not that I have no desire to continue and meet my goal of meeting 150 people. Still, the momentum is not the same. As I have probably mentioned before, I am not the same, nor does life find me in the same spot when I started this project.

My grief, pain, and emotional toil are not the same. I am in a good place – emotionally and mentally. Life finds me experiencing love again and all the magic and adventure that comes with the euphoria of a new relationship.

What then continues to be the driving purpose of this project? Do I continue for the sake of continuing? Do I take this initiative in a different direction? Do I call it quits? As my motivation, energy, focus, and attention will divert me in different directions, how long will it take me to eventually meet my goal?

Meeting #111 served as a reinforcement of how much I enjoy connecting with people. The conversation flowed from different topics, from talking about life experiences to sharing family stories, belief systems, and the circumstances/events leading to where life finds us. In the end, I got to know a fellow friend better, gaining a renewed appreciation for a friend and his life experiences.

CWJ sets a stage for an openness that might otherwise not occur, allowing me to hear and become an active participant in sharing stories that hopefully provide value to my coffee mates and myself. This will continue to be my drive: the desire to connect and share a moment with a fellow traveler in this journey we call life.