The Spilled Coffee
Just another morning frothing the coffee in preparation of an iced latte for my dear daughter. The routine is so familiar that it can be done on autopilot: spoon the ingredients into a tall glass, pour some hot water, plug in the frother, froth the coffee, detach the whisk attachment, tap the leftover foam into the glass, unplug and wind the cable of the power frother, add ice, pour the plant-based milk, and, as a final touch, add the reusable metal straw. Today was different. My mind wandered, lacking focus. Call it stress, call it distraction; at step seven of the process, the snag ensued. In a mindless motion of unplugging and winding, before I could react or realize what was happening, the frother cable caught the tall glass. It swept it off the countertop, sending it crashing to the marble floor with a boom, shattering it and scattering shards of glass everywhere. Trying to recover from the shock, my mind journeyed through anger and despair before making a quick return to ground...