coffee break

I once saw a mug imprinted with the truest words ever found on a cheap marketing trinket: Coffee is sauna in a cup. I almost bought the stupid thing just for its cleverness, and because I was slightly afraid I would forget the little ditty by the time I got home.

Thankfully, I must have had a little caffeine in me to fuel the memory banks, because it’s been percolating in some dusty corner of my brain. Convenient, when I have no sauna of my own and it’s two below in the dead of winter. It would take a die-hard Finn to enjoy a sauna while drinking a cup of Joe, but I digress.

I meant to chat about coffee, not the heavenly warmth that is sauna. Coffee will have to do for now. In fact, it’s about all that keeps me going these days, when I’m low in iron and Vitamin D and long johns. The chill outside seeps into the house no matter how many layers I bundle on and how many little boys raise my blood pressure with their antics.

I have, after years of experimentation, found my favorite mug, my favorite brand of coffee and my favorite flavor creamer. All I need is a favorite chair to sit in and a favor from the boys - peace and quiet. Instead, I sip the steaming liquid before breakfast because the only cereal left is Raisin Bran and the only bowl that’s clean has Legos in it.

I move on to the second cup during school work - between coffee and yarn I make it through health and the history of the Jamestown settlement, focusing on the creamy deliciousness instead of the constant babbling of the youngest two. I won’t tell you who they take after, but I’m pretty sure the chattering skipped a generation.

By the time language and handwriting rolls around, I’ve perked up a bit and actually feel human enough to think about changing out of my pajamas. And once it’s time for speed drills, I’m as jittering as Boy #3, who spends the entire two minutes saying, “Um. Um. Um. Um. Um.” I usually have to bite the inside of my cheek and think of something pleasant like worms.

By this time, it’s 10:30 am and it’s time for a coffee break. Seriously. What kind of person would I be if I let the coffeemaker burn the last cup or two? That would be scandalous. One can’t waste good coffee this time of year (and especially at the price I paid for it.)

My boys call it snack time. I call it a coffee break. Either way, we all get what we need. A breather. A break. A recess. Only they usually take off to burn more energy while I just sit. Sometimes I think. Sometimes I pray. Sometimes I just stare at the pieces of fuzz that float in the air whenever a child blows by. But honestly, most often I find myself doing laundry, picking up toys or some other never-ending chore, instead of taking a break to be with God.

Even though I know that sitting with my Bible or a devotional, even for 15 minutes, will transform my day (and my mood), I still find it difficult to do. It is a struggle to convince myself that not being busy is still productive. It’s hard to defend the coffee break when it seems like the house is falling apart around me. Sara Ban Breathnach, in her book Simple Abundance, writes: “Usually, when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, the first thing we eliminate is the thing we need most: quiet, reflective time.”

Finally - justification for a coffee break! Since I utterly fail at being a pleasant morning person, I have more of a need for coffee and quiet time than most. Sometimes it takes that little breather for me to refresh myself and renew my patience so that I can face whatever troubles the day will hold.

“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days,” the Psalmist tells us. For me, that gladness (and peace) comes from the humble coffee break - no decaf allowed.