I start my day with a cup for no one but myself

Without that cup, my day doesn't begin.
In the morning while my family is still asleep, I am the only one standing in the kitchen.
The quiet time has already begun to stir.

Today, I am participating for the first time in the February writing project for Kaze no Boushi-san's membership, "Garden of Words"✨

Thank you for providing such a wonderful place where I can weave words as if I were basking in the sun in a gentle space that always wraps me in kindness🌱✨

The theme for February is
"I, [blank], relax myself."

A cup for no one but myself brings me back to who I am

A cup of coffee in the morning.
Since no one in my family drinks it, this is just for me.

Usually, I am moving for the sake of my family.
Calling out to them, reading the room, sensing their moods.
It's even more so with a teenage boy in the house.

But this coffee is different.
It is a cup brewed for no one else,
"just for myself."

Because I have this time,
I can do my best for the day ahead.
I am someone who can think that way.

My teenage son and a slightly bitter morning

One morning, as I was brewing coffee,
"Is that bitter?" my teenage son asked.

"I want to try a little."

"It's bitter. It's an adult taste."

"I like spicy food, I can handle it."
(He usually refers to himself as 'boku', but when he tries to act like an adult, he uses 'ore' lol)

Gulp.
For a moment, he made an obviously bitter face.
But immediately,

"…Gross."

While saying that,
he somehow desperately tried to keep a straight face.

"I told you, it's an adult taste."

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.

Lately, my son has been
trying on my necklace when he goes out,
or wearing my knit hat.
The other day, he unexpectedly
said, "I want sunglasses," and
was immediately rejected by his dad (lol).

It seems like
adulthoodis something he strongly longs for.

But,
seeing his profile as he desperately tried to hide that bitter face,
I thought, you don't have to be in such a hurry to grow up.
Those words floated into my heart.

An imperfect coffee time is just right

We don't have a coffee machine at home.
It's convenient, but it takes up space.

Instead, I grind the beans with an electric mill.
I love the aroma of coffee
that spreads the moment I grind the beans.

To be honest, I have no refined sense of taste.
I can only tell if it's acidic or bitter.
So, with any kind of bean,
I am satisfied and think it's "delicious."

But that's fine.
Even if I don't understand it or know the details,
my heart is properly filled.

On days when my husband wakes up early,
he makes coffee for me.
That is another quietly happy time.

My special time, when I am neither a mom nor a wife

A cup of coffee in the morning is
a time to return to being a human being,
not a mom or a wife.

The more you do for your family,
the more you should cherish
a cup just for yourself.

During this coffee time,
I am gently relaxing myself again today.