Why I hate coffee in the morning...

Tuesday morning was an amazing ride. The air was a little heavy with humidity and there was a mist hovering over the fields as I coasted along. Jon Bon Jovi literally music in my ears...have I mentioned how much I am totally into the new album...highly recommend it!!!
My mind organizing my day, working out the details, sometimes wandering off track. Heading around the curve that is the exit to Commissioners Rd -the home stretch-, I'm feeling free and ready to take on the day. Suddenly a large pick-up truck flies past me and a Tim Horton's cup is bouncing off my helmet and covering me with the stinky, sticky remnants of some one's morning joe. NICE. I hate coffee-the smell, the taste, now I can add-the feel. I need to believe that this was just a thoughtless idiot not realizing the implications of their careless toss of garbage. I can't believe my friends Pieter and Karen who are convinced it was some malicious act of target practice. And to John and Mike, gentlemen, yes..I'm glad I had my helmet on.
This small event could have ruined my day( little did she know that there would be bigger issues to deal with later!) but as icky as it was, I decided not to let it over-shadow the beautiful moments that had happened before it. But it was my choice about what impact it would have.
It's like the analogy of the clean paper. Take a piece of plain white unlined paper and somewhere on it draw a black circle or dot- any size. Then show it to some people and ask what they see. Most people will say" I see a black dot/circle". Focusing on the small "flaw". There will be a few who say"A piece of white paper with a black mark" They are the ones who see the big picture. That see beyond the black "flaw" and notice that there is a significantly larger amount of white than there is of black.
We do this in life too, whether it is with things or people. I am notoriously bad about this when it comes to my creative outlets, cooking, photography, sewing etc. I will do something and will get compliments on it but in my mind I'm thinking "Thanks but I need to do better next time." I try not to do that with people in my life. I want to see all the white of them even though I know of the black spots. I'm thankful for the gift of my friends who continue to see the white in my life despite all the black spots that dot my existence. I choose to minimize the people who only see my flaws and not to treat them or others the same way. As Jon Bon Jovi says on the new album "Everybody's Broken"( Have I mentioned how much I love this man??!?!?!)
And so, a little coffee doesn't take the joy out of cycling. A mean-spirited rumour doesn't negate the great people in my life. Bitterness will not harden my heart.
But I'm never going to drink coffee!