Instant Coffee

13 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by dianasschwenk in Hump Day Chronicles, My Stories

Tags

coffee, Dad, death, Diana Schwenk, family, grief, growing up, Hump Day Chronicles, love, memories, parents, Relationships

Do you, or did you ever, have someone in your life that you could spend hours with, never speaking a word?

I think when a relationship gets to that point, you’ve hit a level of comfortable-ness where the two of you are just happy to be in each other’s company.

When I was school-aged, I would get home about 30 minutes before dad who liked to enjoy a nice cup of instant coffee after a long day’s work.

I had the timing down to an art. Dad was one of those people who seemed to live within a specific routine. Maybe that’s why he was always a source of comfort to me. No matter what else was going on at school, in the world, wherever, I could count on dad to do and be exactly where I knew he’d be.

So at the exact right time, I would plug the kettle in and when he’d walk in the door, I’d be making his coffee with one level teaspoon of sugar and a bit of milk. After our initial greetings we would sip coffee together quietly; dad doing one thing and me doing another. Neither of us ever feeling pressure to fill the silence with words.

People wondered about us. Wondered why we didn’t talk and how we could be so in tuned to each other.

I still love my coffee. But I’m a brewed-pot-of-coffee kinda gal now. Yet for some reason, I found myself buying instant coffee one day, a few months after dad passed away. I know now that I was just looking for a way to be with him again. A cup of instant coffee seemed like the best way to do that.

Now on Sunday afternoons when I’m thinking of dad I make myself a cup of instant coffee.

At first I worried that I had nothing to say. And then I remembered we never really had a need to break the silence with words. He knew I loved him and I knew he loved me.

I will always treasure our quiet coffee-time memories Dad.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Who’s one of your favourite people to spend time with? What do you like to do together? Is it something that you don’t do with anyone else?

Morning Coffee

25 Wednesday Nov 2015

Posted by dianasschwenk in Hump Day Chronicles, My Stories

≈ 41 Comments

Tags

blessing, coffee, comforting, Dad, Diana Schwenk, dream, family, grace, grief, Hump Day Chronicles, living in the moment, loss, love, memories, Mom, parents

It’s only been a short time since Dad passed away. The hardest is when I forget and then remember again that he is gone. This morning though, a small blessing, a moment of grace to start my day.

A comforting dream, just before I awoke.

I was walking from the back bedroom of their house toward the kitchen. And there was Dad, just as he’d always been when I’d been there on previous visits, except he was standing – with no pain on his face, wearing that white shirt with navy and red stripes and making me an instant morning coffee.

Mom joined him from the dining room and both of them lifted their eyes up from the coffee to greet me.

Then I woke up.

Thanks for my morning coffee and checking in on me Dad. You must have known how much I am missing you.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

The Best Kind of Sleep

05 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by dianasschwenk in Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, In My Opinion

≈ 57 Comments

Tags

200 words, coffee, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, dreams, exercise, happy, health, sleep, sleepless, tea, unplug, water, wine

“The amount of sleep required by the average person is five minutes more.” – Wilson Mizener

We read all these articles about the best kind of sleep for optimum health.

They say you need to sleep right through the night.

They tell you that it is normal to wake up in the middle of the night; in fact, chances are this is when you were conceived.

They tell you your bedroom should be completely dark.

Sleep on down pillows.

Sleep on memory-foam pillows.

Don’t watch a scary movie before bed.

Don’t drink coffee after 2PM.

They tell you to unplug your devices by 8pm.

And don’t eat after 6pm.

Don’t exercise at night.

Drink a glass of water before bed.

Don’t drink a glass of water before bed. You’ll wake up in the middle of the night to relieve your bladder.

Do have a glass of wine.

Don’t have a glass of wine.

Drink herbal tea – chamomile.

Drink warm milk with honey.

Do sleep naked. Don’t sleep naked.

So much advice!

But I think Mizener got it right.

The best kind of sleep is five more minutes.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

What’s your advice for the best sleep?

Sunday Coffee Klatsch

28 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by dianasschwenk in Hump Day Chronicles, My Stories, Out and About

≈ 37 Comments

Tags

Alberta, Calgary, Canada, chinook winds, coffee, friends, Hump Day Chronicles, living in the moment

Hear’s my Soul Café, Calgary AB

We’ve had some incredibly warm weather in Calgary due to Chinook winds, but every good thing must come to an end, right?

Sure, we’re still expecting above average temperatures in the next few days, but today will be 10 degrees colder than yesterday.

Sunday was by far the warmest at 17c/63f.

I couldn’t wait to get outside!

A friend of mine, Jen had arranged a coffee klatsch with me and another friend, Anita. We were to meet at Hear’s my Soul Café in the east village.

I’d been to the café only once before and loved the vibe of the place. I had tried to show Jen the place a few weeks earlier, but when we got there it was closed for a private function.

No matter, I was looking forward to getting Jen’s and Anita’s reaction to it, and its unique story, on this particularly warm and sunny day.

I overestimated the time it would take me to walk the 22 blocks there, so when I arrived early, I sat down on a sunny bench, kitty-corner from the café to wait for Jen and Anita.

While I waited, two gentlemen who live in a senior’s complex nearby came over to introduce themselves. We chatted for a bit about the weather and the various ailments they suffered from. They were sweet and kind and made me laugh.

I excused myself when I saw Anita climb the stairs to the café.

“It’s closed,” she called to me as I crossed the street.

Drats! Could it be that I just wasn’t supposed to bring anyone here?

I sent a text to Jen to meet us at another coffee shop a short four blocks away. In spite of having to change our plans, the three of us managed to do a lot of klatsching.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

I was disappointed that Hear’s my Soul was closed because the history of its incorporation and the building that it’s housed in is a fascinating story. I was looking forward to learning more from the owner. I will share the story with you another time.

: Reflections on a wet parking lot

: A sunny bench kitty-corner from Hear’s my Soul

: Love red brick buildings!

: More reflections

: I swear, there’s construction everywhere!

The Bike Messenger

11 Sunday May 2014

Posted by dianasschwenk in Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, My Stories

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

200 words, coffee, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, God, Homelessness, integrity, lessons, life, listen, living in the moment, love, poverty, Purpose, Who I am

When love and skill work together… expect a masterpiece. ~ John Ruskin

Photo credit: 2jere2beseder.com

Friday was a beautiful, sunny day so my bestest friend invited me for coffee on our favourite bench in Tomkins Park.

As soon as we sat down, Michael rode in on his bike with an important message on his heart.

The most life-changing lessons I have learned over the years, have come from people experiencing homelessness.

One can learn a lot about what is important from those who have very little.

“Who you are isn’t who you are,” he said.

“I am native. I am homeless. But that is not who I am.

That is not who God sees. You have to look deeper than that to see.”

Michael continued, “When you know who you are, you can act from love and do what you’re meant to do.”

Then he added, “I’m hungry. Going to eat some chicken now and then I’ll be looking for a wife. So if you’re still here when I get back…”

As he left, I turned to my friend and said, “Yeah, so we should go now,” She laughed.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Spring is in the Air

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by dianasschwenk in Humour, Hump Day Chronicles

≈ 45 Comments

Tags

blossoms, Blues, Buddy Guy, butterfly, Chevy, coffee, Garden, gardening, humour, Latin lover, Mailbox, morning, pretend, Spring, Swing, veranda

Many of you have been writing about the ‘signs’ of spring.

You’re raking the remnants of autumn’s leaves, planting seeds and drinking coffee outside.

Your photos capture daffodils, budding trees and cute kids in pink sweatshirts playing in the yard.

You are painting such a beautiful picture of spring – I can almost smell the blossoms!

(Insert sound of needle being scratched across a record)

Out my window I see a blanket of white and although our temperatures peak above freezing (slightly above) and mostly during the workweek, our weekends continue to bring snow.

However, instead of complaining I’m going to revert to something I did as a child when things weren’t going my way…

Pretend

The warm breeze pushes past my drapes and caresses my face.

My eyes flutter open and I breathe in the perfumed scent of blossoms.

A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth as I glide out of my four-poster bed

(well I am pretending, remember?)

and walk to my clean kitchen (p-r-e-t-e-n-d-i-n-g)

where the coffee has brewed (gotta love those timer thingies)

I pour myself a cup and head out the French Doors of my modern kitchen to the veranda (that wraps completely around my house) and sit myself down on the porch swing.

I take in the glorious view while the birds sing sweetly by the quaint wooden bridge and the old oak tree by the stream. (again, I am pretending so why not?)

The mailman nods as he delivers my mail into my mailbox.

(you know the old-fashioned kind that kids knock over with baseball bats when they drive by? Yeah that kind)

He’s probably delivered a notification of a trip I’ve won.

I look toward a plot of ground recently tilled and contemplate a day of gardening.