This morning I woke up at 7 am. That’s before the sun rises, for those of you who are perpetually late sleepers. “Yeah, so what?” you may ask. Well you see, this morning was the first morning I’ve gotten up before the sun has risen since I’ve been home. That’s two weeks, folks. To some of you that sounds rather lazy, but please, allow me to explain.
In high school, I woke up at 6 am every morning, no matter what time I had gone to bed. Granted, that usually meant that I got five to six hours asleep each night. Toward the end of my senior year, it was four to five. But that’s beside the point. After four months of countless nights of only three hours of sleep and an afternoon nap, it takes its toll on your body. Exhaustion sets in like mad crazy. Or, in my case, you get back to Minnesota and instantly become horribly sick.
So now that I’m home, I have decided to let my body rest. That means no setting alarms, except for church. (However, I did manage to sleep through my alarm for church, which is very unusual for me, and my dad had to wake me up). That means letting myself sleep until I wake up. Luckily, my parents have been very gracious with me regarding this, even the days when I slept until nearly noon. This cycle was largely due to the fact that for the first week or so I had trouble sleeping at night. I would try to go to bed, and then just lay there wide awake. Apparently it took my body longer to adjust to the central time zone than I thought it would. I’m mostly adjusted now, though. Instead, I just get really exhausted in the evening and want to take a nap. I’m working on that.
But back to the start of my morning… I rolled out of bed at around 7:10 am. I made my way downstairs to make myself some breakfast. My dad was just getting ready to leave for work, and my brother was rushing to get a ride with him to school.
After they had left and my stomach was satisfied, I headed back upstairs to get ready for the day. Today, I was going to be heading into Duluth with my mom. She has Bible study every Tuesday morning, and she was going to drop me off at Caribou Coffee and then pick me up when she was done. I packed up my camera and computer, and we headed out the door just after 8:30 am. The sun was still low in the sky, and the temperature had made its way to a couple degrees above zero. My mom and I chatted sporadically, but also allowed time to enjoy the silence of the still morning.
She dropped me off at Caribou Coffee in Canal Park, which is my favorite one. For my California friends (and others) who have no idea what I mean by “Caribou Coffee” or “Canal Park,” please allow me to explain. Caribou Coffee is a lot like Starbucks… Except better. I know that for some people that’s practically a sin to say, but it’s true. The logo is a caribou, naturally, and the entire shop is rustic and definitely falls into the “North Woods” category. It’s beautiful.
Canal Park is an old warehouse district next to Lake Superior. It is filled with quaint shops, restaurants, cafés, and hotels. The Aerial Lift Bridge connects it to Park Point, a beautiful sandbar from where people go swimming in the lake. On the lake side of Canal Park is the Lakewalk, a boardwalk that stretches from the lighthouse next to the lift bridge all the way to Leif Ericson Park and the Rose Garden. If you ever come to Duluth, and I highly recommend that you do, Canal Park is a must.
So that’s where my mom dropped me off: the Caribou Coffee in Canal Park. Hopefully that statement makes more sense to some of you now. Once inside, I waited in line a couple of minutes and ordered my white mocha. As the lady handed me back my debit card, she commented that she liked my scarf. I instantly smiled and thanked her. Not only do I love compliments, but that scarf is my favorite. I bought it in Reno, Nevada a couple of Christmases ago when I was there visiting family. I always wear it with my winter coat. For those of you who know me from California and thus have never seen my wearing my winter coat, this is the scarf:
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| This scarf is near and dear to my heart. |
After I picked up my drink, I headed to my favorite spot. You see, part of the reason that this Caribou is my favorite is because it contains a little loft. You head around the corner and up the stairs, ending up right above the kitchen area. The loft is sprinkled with two three-person tables, a short couch, a coffee table, and two leather chairs with an end table between them.
I got out my computer and sunk into one of the leather chairs. Setting my mocha on the table next to me, I was delighted with how the light pouring in from the window hit it. Call me a photographer, but it was quite lovely.
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| So much beauty in a single coffee cup. |
I looked out the window, taking in the scene. I don’t know what it is about circular windows, but they make the view even more spectacular. I smiled. Sometimes I forget how much I love Canal Park.
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| I can't get enough of round windows. |
One of Ingrid Michaelson’s lesser known songs—but one of my favorites—was playing over the speaker system. I sat for a minute to enjoy it, as well as to take in the usual coffee shop sounds. There’s something really lovely about spending time in a coffee shop. It’s so inviting, yet intimate. Call me cliché, but I really do love spending time with friends one-on-one in coffee shops. It’s a mixture of two of my favorite things. Well three, if you count the coffee itself. Or maybe it’s four: friends, one-on-one conversations, coffee shops, and coffee. Whatever the case, I love it.
So here I sit. My headphones are in, the sounds of my newest playlist streaming into my ears. The sound is down just enough that I can still hear milk being steam and the cash register being opened. Occasionally, the man across from me turns his page, and I experience the all too familiar rustle of a newspaper. The sun streams in through the window over my shoulder. From time to time, I look out that same window and watch a car drive down the road or someone trek across the snowy sidewalk. It’s going to take a lot of effort to make me leave the comfort of this leather chair.
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| Yes, I do wear clothing from schools I don't go to. |
My computer is now going to be put away, and my latest read is coming out.
And let me tell you something, friends.
This is bliss.
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