Everyday rituals are present in our daily life. Mostly we are unconscious of them, they are just what we do as part of our regular routine. Until you observe the details of any activity you won't necessarily perceive what their qualities as a ritual are. This series of articles shine a light on ritualised elements in our lifestyles. Discovering along the way how we could make more of them. To deepen and enrich our experience of our life as we already live it.
No 1 MAKING COFFEE
I rise early. But taking a coffee then, before I've eaten usually upsets my digestion for the rest of the day. So a pot of green tea will be my very first drink of the day. Once I've lined my stomach with porridge, then coffee is definitely on the cards. But as it will be my one and only coffee of the day, I choose carefully the time and the place. Sometimes it does accompany breakfast. If I'm taking a walk, then its with the walk. If I'm going out to The Black Apollo Coffee House for the best Flat White in North Norfolk, its more than beneficial to wait til then. I endeavour whenever possible, to turn my everyday cup of coffee into a special occasion.
I find its always best to allow yourself time, once you are up and about, to take stock of your current state, naked of caffiene, before you kick start the engine. Coffee is an addictive stimulant. In the 18th century coffee houses had to be licensed and initially were considered drug dens. So, before you casually knock back the golden nectar, be aware that how you feel is about to be chemically adjusted, to an artificially heightened version of you. Coffee lifts, enhances and dresses you up to be able to kick ass with the best of them. If you've taken the time to get in touch with your original raw unfiltered state before drinking coffee, you'll be under no illusions that the confidence and joi de vivre you now possess is a temporary illusion of a fake persona.
How you make your coffee.
When we make ourselves a drink, on a practical level we are simply slaking our thirst. But its rarely a pragmatic act or we would only ever drink water. What we choose to drink chimes in with our mood, our desires, our state of mind. We may need something to sweeten bitterness or a stimulant to stir our sleepy mind or body into greater clarity and alertness. Taking in any food or drink alters our mood.
How we make that drink is important. Whether we pour juice out of a pre-bought carton or hand pick and squeeze the oranges ourselves, affects the quality of the drink. The experience and taste of it will be greater or poorer. How the coffee came to be here, how it was made before you purchased it is then a consideration. The nature of the bean, how it was grown, prepared, roasted and ground create the distinct quality of each coffee. Now you could say its just a caffeine hit in the morning Stephen, stop being so precious about it. But there is a point here about everyday rituals, concerning the breadth of attention you can bring to them.
There are so many ways to make coffee. There is the instant granules straight in the pot with the water. The cafetiere, add the ground coffee, then the boiling water, wait a few minutes before slowly descending the plunger. The stove top espresso pot, put water in the base, coffee granules in the pierced funnel/pan, place on a heat source until the water and coffee percolates upward into the top chamber. Pour into a cup, add water and milk of your choosing. Not to forget the coffee percolator, the aero-press, coffee pods, filter coffee machines, and the full monty Italian espresso machine. Using any of these is ritualistic, they have a dramatic nature. Bring love and care with you whenever you use them.
Essentially the means and the process of how you choose to make yourself a cup of coffee relates to your state of mind. If you are truly present with this, you can't help but notice. Experience and appreciate the result, it brings more than two shots of caffeine with it. Coffee making is an example of an everyday ritual. Which coffee making method you have chosen reflects something about you, how you are first thing in the morning, the day you are having, or hope to have.
How you serve your coffee.
There ought to be no difference between how you serve coffee to yourself and how you serve it to others. But often there is. How you serve coffee to yourself is often downgraded in the amount of effort you are willing to put into it. Everyday rituals are often about ways to meet a need, they are acts of service. Serve yourself as well as you would someone else. Serving is an expression of love, appreciation and worth.
What you serve coffee in speaks loudly of you and your outlook on life. Whether it's served in a mug with a rude message on it, one wrapped in a cartoon character, decorated with a flowery or geometric design or pattern, in a porcelain cup and saucer, a travel cup, or the generic plastic cup from a drinks machine. Well, you respond differently to all of these, don't you? Consider then the role, qualities and value that presentation brings to your life in these everyday rituals. There is always an element of magic and theatre within them.
Think of it as alchemy, the transformation of black earthy beans into a golden ochre elixir, that then transforms you. The ritual of coffee making sets you up for the entire day. Don't rush this, allow yourself the time and space to relax and absorb it. If you tend to hurriedly make a coffee before you dash out the door travel cup in hand, spilling it on the entrance floor as you leave. Then a speedy and scattered mind may be following you, trying to keep up with your race to awaken and be off. Do one thing at a time. Stop right there where you are, sit down and drink your coffee slowly in some semblance of peace. Catch up with yourself. Start your day from that place.
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