March 22

The brewing of stove-top coffee requires attentive stillness: I cannot do anything but watch and wait, for even leaving the burner on ten seconds too long can bitter an entire brew, and that's coffee wasted, and that's extra time spent. Three minutes of coffee-meditation, it's like walking meditation except the movement is in keeping the eyes open; glazed-over blurry-eyes perceive patterns much more clearly and flames become wildly entertaining. I would never notice before how even the slightest breath can affect the most steadfast blue of a burning gas stove.