My Morning Coffee by Conlee Ricketts

I love noticing the crazy things my mind hangs on to.  It’s really my ego that clings to certain notions, but I find watching what “she” does humorous.  That’s why I enjoy sharing it.  Perhaps we all do this sort of stuff, but understanding how my mind works and processes the difficult days is what makes me tick—and laugh—at myself.

This past month when I fill the coffee maker I keep reflecting on how my mind acted when my husband left—what rules I had for my behavior during that difficult transition.  I’m sure my mind has gone here a lot lately because I’ve been thinking a great deal about all my relationships (past, present, and future) and my place within them.

After my husband left I would come home from work and clean the kitchen—a lot.  It was the only area of my life at that time that I knew I could control.  The very first night I knew he wouldn’t be returning I was very purposeful in my evening coffeemaker preparation.  We had this awesome coffeemaker that ground the beans and started brewing before we woke up.  Bean grinding had become my alarm clock.

I remember carefully measuring out beans and water for only half the pot.  I told myself that there was no way in hell I was going to forget that I was alone and mistakenly make 12 cups—coffee for two.  I though the ultimate punch in the gut of loneliness would be to mindlessly pour two mugs of coffee and then realize I was alone. Duh.

I search myself, my past, and my heart for the answer as to why in the world I was so hell bent on not letting myself slip up and fall into “married mode.” 

All I know was I think I didn’t want loneliness to sneak up on me and surprise me.  I wanted to keep it at bay—controlled—on my terms.  Feel lonely at the appropriate Conlee-pre-approved moments—no other times.  I had a daughter to take care of after all—her Kindergarten year to finish up—my group of 6th graders to teach—I was too busy to be lonely and stupid enough to forget that he was gone.  My ego had it all under control and no amount of coffee could convince me otherwise.  I was so funny.

The reality is that loneliness snuck in anyway and ironically—or not—it was usually in the wee hours of the pre-work morning while I drank my coffee—alone.  My ego told me that I was okay though because feeling lonely was much easier to handle than forgetting I was alone. 

This memory is over five years old and has resurfaced to teach me a lesson.  Not about marriage or divorce because just last night the whole gang was here—me, daughter, her dad, his girlfriend (one of my closest friends) all watching Frozen, eating, talking, supporting each other, and laughing—a lot.  It’s teaching me that surviving my difficult moments involves looking closely at my feelings and letting myself feel them, but to do that I have to let my ego play along by letting her set some of her ridiculous rules.  I’m learning to keep her busy while I explore the new tidal wave of emotions that splash through my mornings over coffee.

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