Monday, January 31, 2011

The Coffee Hour

It is the place where  I feel so relaxed i could float.  I am able to speak my mind, wear no mask, and laugh, speak and dream without abandon.  It is the Coffee hour. 

I have watched my Father live this ritual for years.  When I was too little for school I would go with him to the "Travelers" where he would meet up with the same group of guys since he started working as boy.  They would all order coffee.  A ticket to the show, I always thought.  Dad never really even like the stuff, but he liked the company.  It was mostly loggers, a few others who grew up around here would join now and then.  Politics would fly like a ping pong ball, never landing and never causing a rift but always making one "think".  Religion was never discussed.  But local news and game scores were a given.  I was brought a cup of cocoa and a powdered doughnut.  I listened, drew on a napkin and learned a lot.
As the years went on My Father continued to enjoy the Coffee hour. The restaurant changed hands and a new group of men had come; Realtors, lawyers, developers even poets.  Only a handful of Loggers remained.  But all coats were shed when the coffee was poured, and no one had anything to prove.  They just enjoyed each others' company..."shootin' the breeze".

I guess as a grown woman now I longed for that ritual I had witnessed so often growing up.  I wanted a connection.  I wanted time with friends with no agenda. We live in a time where everything is going so fast, and there is always something to schedule, to accomplish, to prove.  My generation grew up watching "friends", a sitcom of a group of very diverse people who got together everyday, to take time-out in a coffee house and were accepted by one another for who they were.  I wanted that.

Awhile back I was invited to go to a local wine and coffee house for a knitting day.  I was both intrigued and intimidated.  I do not knit.  But I liked the idea of "meeting at the coffee house".  So I went.  The girls there were a diverse group, everyone of them beautiful and accepting, and creative.  I loved it, I loved talking about things and "shooting the breeze".  I loved sipping my tea out of a cup that took both hands to hold.  I did not accomplish knitting, in fact I vowed it would not be attempting it again!  But they welcomed me back just the same.  I have continued for over a year now.  It is my therapy, my time to feel like Jennifer...just Jennifer.  I have no scarf or afghan to show for it, but I have a happy heart and a group of gals that inspire me.  I look forward to climbing the steps, getting a big chair by the fire, ordering my cup of Joe, and hearing what is happening with everyone...and there I fit.

7 comments:

Cary said... Best Blogger Tips

Love this story!

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

Great story! Thanks for putting a perspective on life as we should all know it.

Hollie Joy In The Morning said... Best Blogger Tips

So wonderfully told...I love coffee hour...or minutes like my grandma would take when the mail came each day...Thanks for sharing!
Love
Hollie

Mermaids of the Lake said... Best Blogger Tips

I loved this story! It made me smile. The more I get to know you, the more I realize I love many of the same things that you love. Coffee hour and cocktail hour- two of my favorite things! I feel a blog post coming on! :)

Debbie

Funky Junk Jennifer said... Best Blogger Tips

Thank you Cary and Shelley!
Hollie, that is such a great thought picturing your Grandma enjoying her coffee over mail...
Debbie, I love that we love the same things too! We need Coffee and Cocktails soon!

Love, Jennifer

Anonymous said... Best Blogger Tips

Im reading your blog over and over why we don't know each other then I think, its our age?? Probably. No one (really, only a few) know about our dads going to "The Travelers" for coffee. I still call it "The Travelers" when Im not really thinking about it. Great memories eh? Thank you..its really appreciated today :O)

Lorri in Sandpoint (since 1979 on/off)

Funky Junk Jennifer said... Best Blogger Tips

Dear Lorri, What a Pleasure to read your post...Thank you! I too call it the Travelers! I bet we have seen one another there! Take care, Jennifer