Instant espresso and dubious stuff (updated)

One recent evening, at the end of having dinner at a restaurant with a friend of my late parents whom we have not seen for at least a decade, I decided to end my meal with a single espresso. Our party started stating their end-of-meal orders through my husband and I gently told him "could you order a single espresso?" Shortly, the waitstaff delivered the espresso which was accompanied by a small shot of sparkling water as a "palate cleanser". It was great.

During that weekend's grocery run, I purchased a cheap espresso cup and saucer set. I have a Nescafe instant espresso at home, which I usually drink like regular instant coffee. This time, I followed the instructions on the label on how to prepare an espresso--and I was thrilled! It tasted great for an instant espresso. In the future, when we have extra counter space and if I think I would need it, maybe a portable espresso maker would be nice to have. Come to think of it, I will never need it. It will never be a need. LOL. I'll park that thought in the interim. Next topic.

There is an exciting transition going on at work and our set-up continues to be hybrid. Although I see the many benefits of working from home, I am of that traditional mindset that the physical act of going to a different location for one's work is the explicit signal that work has commenced. That's the same with physically exiting one's place of work--it is the explicit signal that work has ended. Plus, there are many out-of-pocket things we fail to recognize when we are working from home including using one's own power source, internet/data connection, and sometimes working overtime pro bono. Don't you think? The real benefit comes up in cases of emergency, which is on occasion. There's a lot of self-direction involved and if one does not have self-mastery, workload could later become unmanageable. That is why going to an office is sort of an escape from the entire decision-making process. The decision has been made for you and if things are not going well, you have others to blame (not a noble motivation, huh?). Meanwhile, if one is mostly self-directed, the major object of one's frustration could only be one's self. But that's just me...today...at this moment. One tiny opinion relative to billions of other opinions. And my opinion is very variable. In relation to this, I occasionally use old libraries for my hybrid set-up. I cannot even describe to you how hyper focused I become when I work in these ancient locations, until my bladder tells me that I need to stand up and go to the nearest restroom. TMI. LOL. I make sure to pack up my stuff and/or secure my work paraphernalia. As a disclaimer, I am referring to ancient libraries from my alma mater that have access permissions for alumni or affiliated researchers—so I’m sure I’m connected to secure wireless fidelity. I love public libraries, but I will not connect to the internet there for work. That’s just me. Again, a tiny voice amidst a sea of opinions.

Also, on the topic of dubious stuff. I am still on the fence on what to do about what my mind is telling me regarding vague and coincidental circumstances. So, my response is--I do not know. Because that is the one thing I know. There is nothing wrong with protecting one's energy--in fact, it is essential. Whenever I long for something such as a goal or tangible thing, I pray to God that if it's not meant for me then it would be great if God could take away the desire for it. As an extreme example, something like the opportunity for early retirement at the age of 41 and travelling around the world without logistical and monetary concerns, I might pray: God, if it's not for me at this moment, please take away the aspiration for it. You know what I mean? Or maybe even, could you please enlighten me a little bit about your plans? A self-serving pre-emptive measure to ameliorate, if not eliminate hurt and disappointment. Random ruminations. Do not think much of it. Mind garbage, as I always say.

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(update)

It’s Friday and I wanted to raise my coffee cup to a good end of the week. Random postscript, I know. Spreading good cheer and good vibes this spring. 🌵🪴🌻 ☕️📚🖼️ ⛺️ Cheers