Picking things up along the way
2020 was an eventful year for the world, but it was an uneventful year for most of us individually. We didn’t have work, we didn’t have school, we couldn’t go out- there were a lack of enjoyable activities. Around 6 months in, I began to realize that I didn’t really have many hobbies. I spent most of my pre-pandemic days spending time with people, doing work for college or some internship I’d decided I needed and/or occasionally indulging in a movie that would most definitely leave me in tears.
So, as any rational person would do in the middle of a pandemic, I started exploring.
Within the year and a half that we were all stuck at home, I wound up running through potential hobbies faster than America ran out of toilet paper in the initial stages of COVID. I tried everything, starting from crocheting to roller skating! (Roller skating was probably one of my worst decisions, I have the balance of a piece of paper in the wind, but some of the bruises I got did look super cool).
Some of the hobbies I tried out stuck with me though, sometimes when I’m in class I doodle all over my books mindlessly- I blame my phase in trying out tribal art for that.
Regardless, when asked about what skill I picked up during this elongated summer break, I needed a minute to think. I mean, sure, now I know multiple ways to tie knots and I can make really good pasta in under ten minutes and my eyeliner is almost always perfect but if I had to narrow it down to one skill, one skill that was the most impactful? I think I’d have to say it was learning how to make the perfect cup of coffee!
During the initial stages of the pandemic, it was really hard for me to find the motivation to do the things I wanted. My sleep schedule was messed up, I would barely complete something I started, and I was not reaching my deadlines. I’d start my day with a strong cup of coffee, I didn’t like coffee back then- but it would do the job and give me the energy I needed. And then I’d power through my work for the day.
At some point in between, as I started getting better at work and built a schedule for myself, drinking coffee in the morning became more of a habit than a necessity. I bought myself a journal and made calenders and lists and I would give myself internal deadlines and I would draw whenever I wanted to release some energy.
So I spent some time every morning trying to perfect my cup of coffee, I started exploring with different coffee brands (all instant coffee powder, because regardless of all the personal growth I still lacked patience), I tried out different types of milk (because I’m lactose intolerant) but I ended up sticking to black coffee, I tried my coffee cold and hot, sometimes I’d add some flavoring like cinnamon powder or vanilla essence.
Theres still no perfect coffee, but now I wake up every morning and I know exactly what kind of coffee I’m in the mood for. I’ve tried and tested all kinds of coffee and I know what I like and when I want it. Some days I wake up wanting something nutty, some days I wake up wanting something Christmas-y. The joy of knowing and having exactly what I want in the morning is the best way to start off my day, and that’s the true skill I learnt during the pandemic.
