I make a damn good pot of coffee. I use a French Press, and I buy premium coffee from World Market. My favorite flavor is Breakfast Blend, which I always mix half and half with a decaf blend. It’s a little taste of heaven every morning.
I love the Breakfast Blend, but it’s harder to find a good decaf. I finally found one I liked named Sumatra. Evidently, I am not the only who made this discovery, because the store rarely carries it anymore. In fact, they’re pretty much always out of all their decaf blends with the exception of a flavor called Texas Turtle.
I take my coffee with cream and sugar, so I am not a black coffee snob, but Texas Turtle sounded a little too frou-frou for my taste. Instead of buying that flavor, I have gotten in the habit of going to the grocery store to buy my decaf coffee. It takes more time and marginally more gas, but I really didn’t want to try Texas Turtle.
Until the day came when I was really crunched for time. It was either buy the Texas Turtle, or start drinking my Breakfast Blend with full caffeine. I am not afraid of caffeine, but I really didn’t want to go back to full strength. So, with a deep sigh, I picked up the bag of Texas Turtle and brought it home.
The next day I started my morning routine by fixing a pot of coffee. I pulled the Texas Turtle out of the cupboard and with much trepidation, added it to my beloved Breakfast Blend. After the grounds had steeped in boiling water, I poured my first cup.
Crap. It was absolutely delicious. It was slightly sweeter, but not too sweet. It was a little richer, but not too rich. Basically, it was the last missing ingredient to an amazing cup of coffee. After I pondered the irony of how long I’d resisted buying that flavor, I had to ask myself: What else in my life have I been resistant to that I needed to address?
I spent years in bad relationships because I didn’t feel like starting over. When you’re in the midst of a long-term relationship, it’s easy to let things slide. It’s also easy to convince yourself that being unhappy isn’t a good enough reason to end a relationship. I was really good at convincing myself of these things, so I ended up staying in relationships that became so toxic they eventually exploded. Every time, once the flames have died down, I am amazed by how much better life can be without the stress of a bad relationship.
I also spent years in jobs I didn’t like. There have been a couple of times when I stayed even when I was miserable. I did a great job of convincing myself each time that I couldn’t make as much money or have as good of benefits if I left that particular company. When things would eventually get so bad that I was ready to just walk away, I was amazed by how much lighter life felt when you don’t have to go to a job you hate.
When I was growing up, my family did not go on vacations. Only once did my folks pile us all up in the station wagon and take off for a tour of the Southern part of our country. It was fun and we had great memories, but it was an anomaly in our life. As an adult, I convinced myself that my family could not afford to go on vacations. Finally, I was convinced to take the girls on a trip through South Dakota. It did not send us to the poor house and we had a great time. Ever since then I’ve made sure that I travel somewhere at least once a year, whether I think I can afford it or not. I am amazed by how travel helps me to put my life, and the world, in perspective.
As I sit here writing, I am sipping from a delicious cup of coffee, texting with a friend about a vacation we’re planning, and I am relaxed because my work gives me flexible hours so I am able to devote much of my time to doing things I love. I am having this amazing morning because at various times in my life I was forced out of my comfort zone and did things I had been resisting.
What are you resisting? What might make your life even better than it is now? Please, take a leap and try something new.
(Previously posted on my blog, Jasmine Petals Thoughts. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.)