Pope Francis has lamented the abandoning of working on Sundays, saying it has a negative impact on families and friendships. However illogical the idea for most of this work obsessed part of world or this workaholic in particular, I appreciated his message, and began to love the idea of being off on a Sunday. And after a particularly long week, it seems fitting and downright deserving to take the weekend off, or at the very least, a Sunday per the Pontiff’s plea. In this fast paced culture and with my job responsibilities, which at times require working all the days of the week, it is hard to suddenly switch gears (out of overdrive) and just settle down, relax and smell the roses, or, at the very least even a latin american arabica bean.
And so on a day trip up Madison to pick up a gift at Hermes, (where I took advantage of some weekend warrior shopping sales, and some shots for The Greene Door,) I casually dropped into Nespresso, a petit cafe that I usually pass by (the storefront is so uninviting.) I settled into a comfy leather chair at a cute window table inside this massive, pretty cafe (I guess they did not waste the money outside on Madison for the money they make inside on Madison – makes cents.) I ordered a very delicious, very yummy cappuccino.
While the kiddish adjectives of that verbiage sounds very Yelpish, it really was a memorable coffee, if not for the fact that I could have had that coffee just about anywhere. See, the intention here is not to promote the Nestle brand or the fact that it is sustainable, earth friendly, freshly ground, pod inspired, and highly aromatic or even to relay the success of a super shopping spree, yadda, yadda.
The objective is that on that lazy day there wasn’t any objective. And on no particularly exciting ‘day off,’ the simplicity of not having a work related thought, to abandon all Starbucks or Dunkin distractions with a quick to go cup – and just sit, quietly, with a few friends, and enjoy a good old cup of Joe together was a really, refreshing shift in living. I don’t ever just cool my heels, tame tech, dismiss work and savor a coffee date. (I actually roll my eyes when anyone asks if I want to grab a coffee – if and when I do the grabbing, I am usually alone in doing so, and the skinny vanilla latte loner probably has my name spelled incorrectly on it.) But when I finally did decide to sit for a minute or two, slow down and engage in coffee conversation with a couple of coffee lovers, it felt nice. It was good enough to even devote some time to think and then to write about.
Perhaps the inspirational message from ‘His Eminence’ that “Maybe it’s time to ask ourselves if working on Sundays is true freedom” hit a nerve with this pug nose to the grindstoner. Ah, and then suddenly the flash went off, and I naturally smiled for the camera. I was caught off guard and catapulted back into TGD work mode, without thinking, without heeding the Pope’s suggestions. So while the concept of calming down and collecting myself is paramount, the show must go on, no matter what day of the week it is. And in thinking of the Pope’s delirious mass schedule on a Sunday, I wonder how he ever finds the time to slow down, take off and enjoy his favorite Argentinian mate.
Photographs by Viva Violeta Photography
