The Coffee Cart at 7th Avenue and 6th Street
Money buys time -- or so I’ve heard. My relationships with them both have been rather fleeting. On a brighter note, simple life also affords us the simple pleasures, and I have become quite appreciative of the little things that can get you through the day.
For instance, as the mom of a five-year-old boy, my day usually begins with a punch in the kidney and a cheery, “Let’s Get Up!” From the moment I open my eyes (and sometimes the night before), I look forward to my coffee from the coffee cart on Seventh Avenue and Sixth Street. I will scrimp in other areas of my life to make sure I have $1.50 each day for a large coffee with milk and two sugars. Whether it is the strength of their coffee or fact that their sugar spoons are significantly bigger than mine, I don’t know, but their coffee, to me, is perfection, and it makes me so happy.
Another friend starts every morning with a spoonful of ice cream straight from the freezer. Another takes a shower, every evening, with the window wide open and bathroom lights out, chin in palm, elbow on the sill, watching all the people walk by, as though through one way glass. Yet another friend, pregnant, has ritualized the drinking of her one, allowed Diet Coke while perusing juicy tidbits the New York Post.
Everybody has them, the little things we do to soften the day (a significant percentage of which involve caffeine). Here are some other simple-pleasure confessions from people in the hood…
________
“I pretend I have to go to the bathroom and sit on the toilet doing sudoku or reading the NYT magazine.” F.R.
“Every morning after my shower I put my towel on the bathroom floor and do 10 pushups, 25 sit-ups and a few yoga stretches - completely naked.” S.M.
“Three words: gin and tonic.” M.S.
“I head into my man-cave, kick my feet up in my lazy boy recliner with pillows behind my head and under my feet and sit quietly for a while contemplating my navel.” C.W.
“I try to wake up early, before my husband and daughter do, I brew my tea (has to be good quality, loose leaf assam or earl gray as I am a tea snob), and I read something (the headlines maybe, but hopefully a page of The New Yorker or a novel) sitting in the kitchen table, enjoying the quiet.” R.S.
“I take home the office copy of People every now and then and flip through it while watching home decorating shows once the girls are asleep.” J.G.
“Does watching guys pound the crap out of each other count? I forgot what that stuff is called though -- mixed martial arts?” M.F.
“After a long day at work, I come home, give my kids big hugs and kisses and then pour myself a nice glass of red wine.” J.H.
“My ritual involves a battered Melitta filter, espresso grind french roast, and a cup my mom bought me for my birthday six years ago. same order, every day. and vanilla creamer. I have to have it and sometimes dream about it the night before.” M.O.
“Oreos. Always eaten the same way as I did when I was little. (Sandwiches taken apart, cookie part only dunked in milk). “E.D.
“I routinely stay up until 1 or 2 am so I can watch DVDs or read books uninterrupted. It is well worth the sleep deprivation.” D.L.
“Sitting down with my tea and bowl of ice cream after the kids go to bed to watch The Bachelorette on TiVo.” E.P.
“When my son was very small (and sometimes even now) I hired a sitter so I could grocery shop on my own. I actually considered it my social time, and became friends with the people who work at the local store. people I am still close to this day, albeit only in the context of the aisles and bins. hey, you can never know too many produce and meat guys and gals.” A.O.
"Snickers and beer, but not on a daily basis. I look forward ritualistically to a certain radio news program (Democracy Now) just to feel my feet are in the world beyond motherhood for a bit." L.G.
"My guilty pleasure is a phone call with my best friend. most days we try and connect even just for a moment, but once or twice a week we get a good 45 minute call and it is so good to catch up with someone who gets me completely and is always on my side. I feel loved and needed after our talks, it doesn't get better than that for me." S.H.
"For me it is equal exchange milk chocolate with hazelnut, every day. It somehow get me through. I sometimes have it for breakfast." M.H.
Megan Schade
