While I am not a big fan of coffee myself, I would never turn down a coffee date invitation or dismiss the desire to catch up with old friends over it. Fuelled by my addiction to someplace cozy and the tantalizing aroma of coffee beans, I usually find myself moving from one coffee shop to another, letting my eyes relish the warm interiors while the barista makes me something based on my drink preference and fetches me a piece of cake or two.
After answering some questions regarding my beverage of choice on bookstagram, I realized that red velvet latte isn't a common thing worldwide. It is, however, frequently found in Indonesia hence my regular order is unquestionable more often than not: sweet and tastes a little like cookies, a cup of hot red velvet latte is my most favored go-to request everywhere I go. With a sip of it amidst the conversation, life seems to me not merely beautiful under the dim light of a coffee shop but relaxing also.
As we're currently on our way into nine months of lockdown though, life hasn't been as fulfilling to say the least. While maintaining our motivation may become more and more a struggle, the feeling of uncertainty about the future can be even harder to deal with. Globally and personally, it has affected us all the same while for some the impacts slowly dwindle into something similar to fear. It's important to take a tread back to remind us of little things to be thankful for alongside a cup of soothing hot tea, coffee, latte, or any other small treat you deserve for going this far.
Normal as it seems, keeping myself sane is something I set up as an ultimate goal during this lockdown life. Being early in my twenties means I have a lot of paths to catch up with and albeit not wanting to admit it loudly, the need to achieve something feels rather close yet rather far. Pursuing an undergraduate degree while at the same time working in an office, I used to possess the tendency to be so hard on myself hence the frustration was quick to unfold before me.
Needless to say, it's nice to opt for the decision to carry on leisurely. In between working on my undergraduate thesis, college events I rashly decided to go along in a desperate attempt to busy myself earlier this year, and arranging office reports, I get to blissfully squeeze in some reading times as well as introduce the Gilmore Girls into my life. Following a story of a single mom called Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory, Gilmore Girls explores the beauty of fall perfectly and I now long for another coffee date opportunity after a long gap due to the lockdown status in my town.
As someone whose sparks of joy occasionally come from vibrant life in a big city, I never thought it would come a day when I would yearn for the warmth of a small town like Star Hollows instead. Having a regular town meeting as well as neighborhood gossips, a daily routine in which you have a cup of coffee in Luke's Diner all the time, and taking a long walk in the street where everyone you know is only a mile away, this town seems like a place I'd prefer to live in one day. Despite the fact that the opportunity to be able to freely roam from one coffee house to another seems slim, I would happily learn my way around caffeine and settle on one cup or probably more a day in the same place for years.
"Nothing says coffee like six in the morning," said Lorelai Gilmore.
