My mornings are pretty predictable. I usually get up at around 6:OO a.m., take a shower, and drink a couple of cups of coffee first. I even make sure I grind the beans in my coffee too. Then I pray five decades of the Rosary, and the morning prayer from my breviary, and go to Mass at St. Mary Of the Isle.
St. Mary’s has quite an exceptionally busy schedule and I have been getting involved with a lot of activities there.
After Mass I virtually inevitably head for the Coffee Nut Cafe’. I usually spend only a minute or two there, get what I want, and leave. Occasionally, though, I have been known to linger for a while. Most people have been known to comment about how surprising it is that even after my already having gotten quite enough coffee each morning, I still feel the need to stop at my most predictable hangout for even more.
Since I’ve been going there practically every morning for the past five years, all the girls who’ve worked there, and the couple who own it, have gotten used to me by now. Frequently I see soup kitchen guests there too. By now, my regular attendance there has become quite a large part of my legend.
Whenever I’m free on a weekend morning, I really enjoy such a nice wholesome coffee, or tea, and breakfast at my other favorite local place, Gentle Brew. It gets me crazy, though, that so often their bathroom is out of order.
On work days, I go to the local soup kitchen on West Pine Street. I don’t have a car now, so I always have to walk there, though I practically inevitably get a ride home. It would take an absolutely bottomless pit of posts even to try to describe the kinds of colorful characters we have to deal with there. We give them lunch daily, except Sunday, between 11:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. St. Mary’s soup kitchen is open for lunch only on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Practically every Saturday morning, we get together for a Bible study class with Claire, who’s a theology professor at two nearby colleges. So far, I’m one of only two men who attend the class. We have around a half dozen women there too. They’re all nurses.
The only thing about my weekday mornings that really rankles on my nerves is that on Mondays and Wednesdays, I have to take out the garbage, and on Wednesdays, I have to take out the recycling. Other than that that I have no major complaints.
Now that the weather’s been finally getting so nice again, I should really like to get back into the habit of riding my bicycle. It’s a 1960( or ’70?) Schwinn. I got it at a local store a few years ago. I don’t know about now, since I don’t bother to keep up with things like that lately, but when I was growing up Schwinn was considered quite an exceptionally good bicycle.
My mornings may not be interesting by everyone’s standard, but at least I have a way to keep exceptionally busy.
Keeping active and in our routines is one way to live.
I am sure you could write about all the ‘characters’ you meet.
I used to work as waitstaff at a morning coffee cafe.
We had some regulars there too.
Be well and stay happy 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. Yes there are all sorts of interesting people in all those places and they’re a bottomless pit of anecdotes
LikeLiked by 1 person
Often it is hard to tell fact from fiction 😉
But when in service mode I smiled at them all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes a friendly smile always helps. We all have to humor them
LikeLiked by 1 person
Humor and kindness are helpful in more ways than we can imagine 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve been noticing that a lot
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was very excited to get my first Schwinn bike. It was turquoise with a flowered basket. We lived in East Meadow then.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those were the days. You’re from Long Island?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lived there for a while, was born in Sleepy Hollow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I really LOVE this post. So human yet with a lovely faith behind it all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks I’m really happy you liked it
LikeLike
Well, Larry, if you have a heart attack from all that coffee while in bible class, you are in good hands. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I have such good connections there, between the nurses right there and the priest right next door
LikeLike
I enjoyed this a lot! You keep busy in good ways 🙂 I also had a Schwinn bicycle when I was young 🙂 Do you work at the Soup Kitchen, I wonder? Have a blessed weekend, coming up!
LikeLike
Hi Larry, thanks for sharing your thoughts on your mornings. Coffee plays such a large part in people’s mornings as I see from the responses this week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
yes it’s virtually indispensable for so very many of us
LikeLiked by 1 person