Week #125/ My Reflection Over a Cup of Coffee

As many friends already know, I love visiting cafés, where I can enjoy a good cup of coffee and, if the opportunity arises, have something to eat with it. Often, when I'm sitting there enjoying my favorite drink, I like to observe everything around me, from the decor and atmosphere to the products on offer, including the presentation and taste of the coffee I'm served. but I also tend to observe the people around me, who they are with, whether they are with friends, their partner, or their families, whether they are smiling, chatting animatedly, or, on the contrary, looking sad and dealing with a difficult situation.

What I usually observe also depends on where I am and where the café is located. Let me explain: if it is inside a hospital or clinic, I have seen many people crying inconsolably, drinking their coffee with tense expressions, talking about the health of their relatives, spouses, friends... I experienced this when my mother was hospitalized some time ago, thank God. One of my ways to relax a little, to take a moment, was to go to the hospital café, where I almost always ran into the relatives of other patients, and there I heard many stories.

I remember the story of a man who had been hospitalized for about two months. His relatives took turns caring for him. He was in delicate condition, having already undergone several surgeries for kidney disease. According to the doctors, his prognosis was not very good. But on the day everything happened, the man was in a very good mood. He had wanted to eat and even shared laughter and hugs with his family. That night, the man died peacefully. At first, those of us who were there with our relatives did not know what had happened. We found out the details over our first coffee of the morning, when his relatives were gathering his belongings and some of them were drinking their coffee, trying to calm themselves bitterly, recounting what had happened.

This experience made me more aware of the fragility of life, that one day we smile, hug, eat, and share, and the next day we no longer wake up, we are no longer here. That day confirmed what I already knew from other experiences: that we must take advantage of every minute of our lives, enjoy a good hug, family, friends, good food, and of course, good coffee. That was the reflection this story left me with.