7-Eleven ~vs~ Home Grind...a friendship comparison

So as I sit here wide awake due to the fact that my child in the womb refuses to sleep, I have decided to start my own blog. Not that you all haven't had your fair share of my raw honesty or humor on Facebook.

So I know we all have our vices... some it's alcohol, some like bubble baths, some love running, some love coffee and some love porn or sex...
well.. me? Aside from running? All of the above please... ;)

Actually For me... it's coffee... over the years I thought I really knew that I liked coffee, needed coffee and thought I had grown up tastes... until Adam and I went to Kona Hawaii for our 5 year wedding anniversary. No longer do I take cream in my coffee (or seldom do now) because I want to be able to taste the coffee, not the cream. Besides... who needs to add extra around the hips?

So I get to thinking... I used to be able to stop in at a 7-Eleven, WaWa or even am/pm and grab a cup of their coffee and be okay with it... cause it was quick, easy and cheap... there are times I grind mine fresh at home and nothing to me tastes better (cause frankly no one can make it better)... then I really get to thinking...

Have you ever slept over at a friends house... or gone over for a "simple" chat about life... or been hungover and your friend offers you a cup of coffee? You shake your head cause you love coffee and think, "Sure.. I could go for a cup!"

Now... at that point in time it doesn't matter if it is Folgers, Starbucks, Peet's or Chicory root... cause you get the first sniff of it brewing... your senses overloaded with that wonderful smell which makes you all warm and fuzzy inside... and you smile.

You sit down with your friend at the table, lift your cup under your nose... feeling the hot moist flavorful steam and.... SLUUUUURP.... ah! That first sip. You instantly feel warm and happy and all is good in the world. You open your eyes, looking at your friend over the rim of the cup and... SLUUUURP... ah! 2nd sip is just as wonderful!!! Suddenly you realize something... the love that was put into a $0.15 cent cup of joe at your friends house tastes FAR better than a $6 "quality" cup at Starbucks or the ease and convenience of a $2 cup at 7-Eleven.

Why is that? To some people.. coffee is coffee no matter where they get it... cause their "Tastes" are simple.
(I would like to thank Hawaii for changing my mind on the reality of THAT one).

Back to my point...
It tastes better when a friend makes it cause there is love there. There is friendship there. You could be having the worst day ever and your friend picks your spirits up by offering his or her love in liquid gold form. And it is heaven. It is what you need to fill the void, answer questions, heal the pain or give you a much needed laugh.
It always tastes better... period.

So over the past few weeks, I have had 2 similar conversations with others about friendships. I know that friends come and go, but hopefully... if you are lucky... you can hold up one hand proudly and count those who are near and dear and who are true blue forever friends. The ones who dry you off after the rain and warm your soul with a cup of coffee.

Friends shouldn't be that of convenience... the $2 cups that you trash the cup when done. Real friendships shouldn't be that of grandeur either... the fancy China that you serve your coffee in only on "Special Occasions". True Blue Friendships should be served in an old weathered mug, full of character, worn handles and maybe a chip or two... with stains from repeated "visits" of love in a cup.

Have you ever needed someone in times of trouble or sadness and you are in a jam? Like you need someone to pick you up late at the airport and you get every offer prior to that by "friends" saying, "Yes... if you EVER need me for anything... call me... I'll be there"... so you call... and they flake or are too busy or don't even answer? Yet you would do it for them without so much as a second thought? What the fuck is up with THAT? Yet others completely surprise you and say, "Hey.. I'll come get you" (someone whom you haven't seen in years and years and years and you aren't very close with yet they have the heart to help?) That is the cup of coffee you needed. The "Perk" from that friend picks you up and makes you feel warm and fuzzy. And you are grateful cause they would never expect it from you in return - although you know you would do it for them anyway.

Friendships of convenience are fake and harsh and underlined with pretentious bullshit hassles which make you second guess yourself and who you are as a person. "I do this for them, yet they never do it back when asked".

What ever happened to "Do unto others as you'd have done unto yourself"??

Is life THAT hectic? Have we grown THAT accustomed to conveniences like 7-Eleven that we have "Drive thru" friendships now?
What the hell is THAT???

Now granted, I realize I have "friends" far and wide... and I pray that I am not one of those 7-Eleven types of coffee for you...

I hope that even if we don't see each other often, that you know you are thought of fondly and that hopefully if I make you smile once a week with some stupid or silly post on Facebook that I am there with you... sharing a cup of home ground brew in a cup that has a picture of Garfield on it that says "Mornings Suck" and the handle has been glued back on... twice.