A Coffee Story

As independent, self-employed business people, we sometimes remain so focused on our business that we miss out on what really is important - living. We take time out to celebrate those moments important to our social network: anniversaries, birthdays, etc. But now and then, there are moments reserved only for us. Moments where our most precious asset - our imagination - takes over and refreshes us. I experienced one such moment while working for a Client in Hawaii. Share it with me:

Here I am in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii, in an area called Enchanted Lakes. I don't know what my front yard looks like because my back yard is so spectacularly beautiful. With the lake at the edge of my lawn, I can sit on the boat launch and look across the glistening waters to the other side where my neighbors are also preparing for their day.

I look beyond them to the mighty Pali -windward to the Mauka side of Honolulu. The Pali: sheer cliffs that loom over you arrogantly and defiantly. I get up before dawn, put the kona brew on and immediately, that delicious anticipation of sitting on the lanai with a cup of java and watching the sun rise from the depths of Waimanalo is beginning to overwhelm me. The aroma intoxicates. Full, rich, and as usual I can't wait for it to stop brewing. I cheat and steal a cup.

I'm ready for the battle.

The battle is between the brilliant Sun and the fearsome Pali. It's still dark and the stars are poking through the sky. The Pali acts as a black hole obliterating everything in its path. It looms in the southern quadrant waiting for the challenge of the Sun to poke through its defenses.

I take a sip of my hot brew.

There comes the Sun. You can tell because the massive clouds that blanket Oahu are wimpy, turning shades of orange and breaking up into smaller pieces to make a fast getaway. The Pali is ready. "OK, Your Brightness, let's do it again."

The Sun rises and casts its fiery light on the Pali. Pali lights up. Its evergreen slopes however insulate the rocky base and add insult to injury by absorbing the Sun's fuel to give the Pali even more protection. Time to go to work. Another quick cup. Another imminent victory for the Pali. "Duck soup!" says the Pali.

Sure enough. By the time I return home up the Pali Highway, the Sun is falling into the west and Bad Boy Pali is still standing. Man, what a life. Only spot in the world where a guy can sit on the edge of a lake with a cup of steaming java and watch the Sun and a Mountain God go at it.

Must be the coffee.