I wanted coffee, and while I don’t take sugar, she was sweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our exchange, while brief, smacked of a moment in time that wouldn’t have come to mind for any other reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most often, I hear phrases that cast a negative shadow over the prospect of the morning, early rising, and the slog that can be all of our lives on any day in particular. I’ve deduced that often, the negativity comes from my lips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t mean it, but it sneaks out. I could be trying to be funny or fit in for a minute, but I do not need to fit in. I pride myself on saying no when the group says yes\u2014I always have. Yet, there I was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can’t tell you why I would speak negatively about the day ahead. I look forward to all of them, but like your days, they don’t always turn out joyous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve been walking through a time when I was more affected by heavy nostalgia. Time and distance do make many memories experientially more positive, and I am thankful for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe God has a way of subduing pain with time, a numbing agent that was here way before Novacaine. Not only are we lucky when we get more of it, but it comes with new experiences that have a way of diluting the less-than-pleasant days past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My dad was a stalwart proponent of keeping a positive mental attitude\u2014and I should be, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Good morning!” Her voice was bright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Is it?” I sounded like Squidward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t know why I said that; I didn’t feel that way inside. It was a sarcastic utterance that had no place in the convenience store’s vestry. I watched the two words dissipate into the chewing gum rack, silently contemplating how to retrieve them from resting forever on the Wintermint Orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I should have mitigated the moment; I still had the power.
I could have smiled and specified that I was kidding. How can I save this conversation? I thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She gave me the price, which was entirely reasonable for a medium. I had bills, sure. But I needed a nickel to accompany them to the cash drawer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I dug into my right pocket and found one coin. I held Thomas Jefferson between my fingers, and his five common cents prevented me from adding another bill to the pile and being rewarded with more change I didn’t want to carry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Look at that,” she said as brightly as she said good morning. Her brown eyes gleamed much more than the nickel. Was she trying to tell me something?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stood contemplating the mulligan, a chance to say the right thing. Another opportunity to save myself so early in the day had been set before me, certainly by no mortal being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Isn’t that a wonderful way to start the day?” I said, placing the thickest of all the coins on the counter before her. I made sure it clicked against the Formica, adding a poignant sound effect to be utilized if they ever make a movie about my life. I know that thinking about post-production necessities at a time like that was silly. Oh, I also smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She smiled, too. All she said was, “It really is,” and I knew I’d save my legacy, hoping it would make my dad proud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted coffee, and while I don’t take sugar, she was sweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Jagged Edge of America, I remain,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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