Little Ways #1: A Good Cup of Coffee

My quest into adulthood (now that I'm nearly 29, ha!) and living, as my friend Dawn calls it, the Good Life, includes searching for Little Ways to make every day feel like a day off. 

(Haven't read about this yet?  Go here to read why my blog is called Like a Day Off and here to read about the Little Ways series.)

If you've read me for a while now, you know that I love coffee.  A good cup of coffee is referenced several times in many posts, not even including the couple of posts completed dedicated to the Gingerbread Latte, my favorite around the holidays. 

Seriously, though, I love coffee.  I don't need the caffeinne; I just love the flavor, the aroma, the goodness and happiness I feel when I sip it.

But a GOOD cup of coffee, one to make that moment feel like a day off, requires a couple of things, in my book:

1. It's temperature needs to be the opposite of the weather.  If it's cold or even a little chilly, the coffee needs to be hot, warming you from the inside out.  If it's warm or hot outdoors, then a refreshing iced coffee is in order.  A GOOD cup of coffee is exactly what you need to feel warmer or cooler, as the case may be.

2. It needs to be enjoyed. A cup of coffee while getting for work is okay, and a cup while teaching is still lovely, but a GOOD cup of coffee needs to be savored.  To be enjoyed while reading a book or having conversation with a friend or even, sometimes, just sitting and simply being.

A GOOD cup of coffee can make any moment feel like a day off.  Too often we rush through our morning coffee or drink it while working, not even savoring the deliciousness it provides.  This morning I had the chance to sit with my sister for about 15 minutes at Starbucks and chat and really enjoy a cup of coffee, even though it was short.  And truthfully, it was wonderful.

What is your favorite coffee or beverage ritual?  How do you use it to create a moment of space in your day?

Here's to the Little Ways!

Little Ways: A New Series

Have you read my first post, Like A Day Off, where I first described the inspiration for my blog title?

Several months after reading that Dove promise and a plethora of posts describing my busy life, I added the tag line, "learning how to live a busy life." 

The reality is that I am busy.  And you know, if you have followed me for a while, that I hate the word busy, because it really is almost meaningless in this day and age, and certainly, in my life.  Regardless of my dislike for the word, the reality remains true.  I'm busy.  All the time.  And I know that you, most definitely, are busy, too.  Sometimes I fall into the trap of a little jealousy and bitterness about others whose lives are "less busy" - but who am I kidding?  We're all freakishly busy.  Our lives are full of things, and not so full of margin. 

Margin has been something I've been thinking about, praying about, and even working on a lot in the past few months.  As God has been teaching me things (as I've finally been listening to Him more), I've also felt the need for more magin and have been trying to find ways to build it into my life.

And you know what?  I've discovered that, when I've created margin for myself, for my family, for God, I end up getting everything else I needed to get done, done. 

Let me honest for a moment, though.  I often don't create margin, I just get lazy.  And when I'm lazy and do nothing, then I don't actualy get all the other stuff done, either, and I increase my stress load greatly.  For me, at least, there is a big difference between "doing nothing" and margin.  Margin has to be intentional, I'm learning.

Back to the point.  I've decided that, in an effort to continue my journey on learning to live a busy life, I'm creating a series called "Little Ways."  I'm not sure how often I'll post to this series - once a week?  once a month? - but I'll post some of the real little ways I'm living life like a day off. 

I ask you to think about how YOU create margin, too, and how YOU find little ways to live like a day off.  I'll include your Little Ways, too.  I can't wait to learn from you!

So here's to finding Little Ways to live, my friends.  Can't wait to see where this leads.