Of Love and Latte

COULD THE RECIPE FOR TRUE LOVE BE AS SIMPLE AS BREWING THE PERFECT LATTE? Let me,a hopeless romantic, serve up some answers.

I thought of writing an article about love. About finding it, losing it, and maybe finding it again. Bet you're wondering what came to me to do such. Unfortunately, I am no love doctor wiyh a Ph.D. in Romance Physics nor an M.A. in Relationship Chemistry. I have had my heart broken just once, so technically Ido not qualify as an expert by virtue of my experience.
What do I know?
Well,let me tell you that Ican mix you a mean cafe latte. I am not a barista,but as I watch some shows about it,how to sreve up cappuccinos and espressos, I have learned a thing or two about that thing called love. Just like coffee, both require a certain amount of care to ensure it is brewed to perfection. You will need the following:
-Water,purified of all fear of 'what if he leaves me?' or 'what if he's not Mister Right?'.
-A certain measure of diversity--be it in the form of coffee beans or unique personalities--combined in an airtight container to allow pressure to build up.
-A man and a woman, preferably hot for each other (or with the potentiel of warming up to at least the prospect of friendship).
Now, bring to a boil. In barista-speak, this is the moment when water and ground coffee first make contact, the former extracting flavors from the latter, in a manner that will drip and percolate for you an aromatic cup of espresso.
In courtship terms, this is whaen boy when boy-meets girl, when the first blush of infatuation floats up to the surface. This can take anywhere from 22 seconds to 22 months, depending on the temperature set on your machine. Agitate the coffee further with Saturday night movie dates, text messages embellished with smiley faces and animated teddy bears, cute phone calls at 1 a.m. involving favorite colors, movie-defining-moments and soulmates, and stolen first kisses.
Now top with the velvety-smooth froth of friendship, sweeten with promises kept, and you've dot yourself the perfect latte. Right? Well,not exactly.
I know that no matter how faithfully you follow a recipe to the letter, you don't always get the perfect cup of joe each time. Love- that other four-letter word I know--is much harder to concoct than coffee.
At some point, you'll learn that no matter how hard you play by the rules, make all the right moves and try to be Ms.Perfect In Every Way, you don't always get the results you hoped for.
Or the guy you pined for, for that matter. Because when reality rears its disappointing, pink-bubble-bursting head, you'll realize Life doesn't always play out the way you wished it would.
The dude who once adored your lattes can snap out of it and proclaim you're no lonher his cup of cappuccino Just.Like.That.
Suddenly, you find that all that's left is a mug half-filled with day-old coffee that's cold and depressing. So, you cry, you curse, you deny, you blame, you rewind, you wish and pray a nocena to every saint you know that things go back to exactly the way they were. And no matter how often you kneel in Baclaran or how many candles you light at morning mass, your instant replay necer happens.
So what do you do? You wipe your tears away, take your cup and empty it of all its contents. Rinse it under a running tap, making sure all traces of stains along the rim and down its side as well as leftover grounds at the bottom are washed away.
Thaen, you start. First, scoop yourself a generous batch of mountain-grown roasts, finely ground so that every granule is bursting with the prospect of new adventures, experiences and relationships. Pour water purified of all your bitterness, rejection amd self-pity.
Now press 'brew'. As you hear the machine whir, gurgle and sputter to life, close your eyes. Revel in the heady aroma of fresh coffee in the throes of being born. You may not see it yet, but by just inhaling its sweetness, you hold the promise of good things to come in your heart the way you would a silent prayer. Yoy dream of a cup so wonderful, so richly golden brown, encircled by a lushing ring of crema so perfect you can already taste it.
And the moment you hear it streaming into your cup, you realize why you had to give uo that last brew. Something much better was on its way to you.
And you'll be thankful you waited. Because you know in your bones, that this one's going to be a keeper. And you wonder why it took so long for you to realize that.

But then again, better latte than never.


QUICK THOUGHT TO REMEMBER:
Stop holding on for something you can't have,,, Learn from the past and live in the present, keeping those lessons in your heart... Everything happens for a reason, we may never answer it todaay, there's still tomorrow and the day after... Just give your heart a time to rest and to breathe 'coz...trust me,,it will tell you when it's finally HOME.

-LAVENDER_GOTHIC-