For today, I would like to offer a story a friend shared with recently. [Her wordpress, by the way, is a wonderful read. I highly recommend it.]

Neither she nor I can take credit for writing the story, and neither one of us is sure who can. However, it is a story that Coffee Enthusiasts can appreciate for a variety of reasons. So I thought this the perfect arena to share it. Enjoy- and feel free to share your thoughts and reflections!

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Carrots, Eggs, & Coffee!

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee…You will never look at a cup
of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to
make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and
struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water
and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the
first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the
last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil;
without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.. She fished the
carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and
placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in
a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ‘ Tell me what you see.’

‘Carrots, eggs, and coffee,’ she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She
did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter
to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed
the hard boiled egg

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter
smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, ‘What
does it mean, mother?’

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in
strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the
boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile.
Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after
sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The
ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water, they had changed the water.

‘Which are you?’ she asked her daughter. ‘When adversity knocks on
your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee
bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with
pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the
heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a
financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and
tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,
the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot,
it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when
things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation
around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest
do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle
adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make
you strong, and enough hope to make you steadfast.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The
brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t
go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and
heartaches.

May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!!

Perhaps this is because they don’t feel like having one more thing for which to replace batteries. But I tend to think there’s more to it.

TS Eliot once said “I have measured out my life in coffee spoons.”

This is a beautiful thought- since situations where you would use a spoon to add sweetness to your coffee (rather than a tiny packet or a pour-forth jar) are often associated with unique moments, or particularly intimate parts of our routine.

Observe a suggested scale:

• Reading the paper in our pajamas: one spoon.
• Trying to be One of the Guys: no spoons
• First, awkward afternoon date: two spoons
• Cheating on a diet: one half spoon
• Second, evening date: 3 spoons at least

Countless stories from my life have coffee as a prop, as part of a setting, or even as a central topic of conversation. And the environment of most any coffeehouse: soft, warm, inviting- is the perfect catalyst for the blending of memories with the present. It is not uncommon to sit down in one with a book your only company, only to look up a while  later to realize it is now dusk and you are surrounded by chattering friends-old and new- who have made their way in.

There are places for timeliness: sporting events, shuttle launches, and life-threatening emergencies come to mind. But sugar is scooped into coffee in entirely different circumstances.

In a world obsessed with speed. punctuality, and efficiency, it is nice to know that there  such little havens; places where one can still properly lose track of time, spoon by spoon.

Thanks for pulling up a chair and visiting with the Sociocafe. This blog is dedicated to sharing the joys of coffee and coffeehouse culture, with cafés indigenous to the Nashville area being regular features in the spotlight.

I am fond of saying that God has a sense of humor, and He loves to laugh! After graduating with an advanced degree at the end of 2008, I thought the world would be my oyster. It’ll be a cakewalk, I thought. Hark? Is that the sound of a potential employer beating down my door to speak with me? Nope. It is a massive economic recession, pounding away at my odds of landing in my original career path.

Needless to say, my time spent in coffee shops grew exponentially as a result, alongside my desire to pursue writing as a career. The more I breathed in the deep, rich scent of the blend du jour, the more I realized that I had found my niche. Their food and beverages found in coffeehouses fuel and comfort us en masse, but there is something more. The social environment found there cultivates the best parts of human interaction: conversation, learning, laughter, silence, healthy debate, acceptance, and the maintenance of an open mind, to name a few. Regulars to cafés are addicted to more than a good espresso; we keep coming back to reaffirm our tiny utopias, wide-eyed and ready to be filled and refilled.

Thus the name Sociocafe was born: since I am writing here not only of coffee itself, but of the places where it lives, and the people who connect with one another and with their communities when gathering around it.

It is my hope that this site will inform you on all things java: whether you’re a novice or an enthusiast. I hope also that this will be a means by which local cafés, their employees, and their regulars can be recognized for their significant contributions to the social fabric of Nashville.

Planned features will include:

• Coffeeology- this feature is dedicated to any and all things related to expanding your coffee knowledge base; beans, products, recipes, and more.
• Cool Beans- find out more about Nashville’s many local cafés and roasters; menus, hours, history, and community outreach efforts that may need your help.
• Addicts- i meet so many wonderful people café hopping, I would be remiss not to include their stories, or highlights from our encounters, somewhere

Of course the name(s) and frequency of these features is subject to change, but I am excited to have already talked to a couple of folks around town who I know would love to be featured. In addition, I plan to find ways to showcase the artists who hang their work in these cafés, and musicians who work (or play) there. There are also lots of quotes, art, videos and more from around the Interwebz that would appease the coffee lover.

So pull up a chair, and get ready to drink long and deep.