There is something so wonderful behind the simple joy of sipping on a creamy, decadent vanilla latte on a cold winter's day. But what makes it even better is being able to share this moment with someone else. There is something so personal, so human, about being able to share something with another individual. Often times the first greeting when you walk into someone's home is: Would you like something to drink? Coffee? And this is a practice that crosses cultural boundaries , not necessarily with coffee, but oftentimes tea, water, juice, or small things to munch on such as cut up fruit or home-baked cookies. Coffee is a tool, an enabler for relationship building. When you ask to meet someone for coffee at the neighborhood coffee shop, home-roast an artisan batch of fresh pour-over of Ethiopian origin, or even something as simple as adding hot water to instant coffee grinds, you are offering them 30 minutes of your uninterrupted, undivided attention. Just you, me listening to each other talk about our lives as we sip on coffee. In our busy busy world of technology, smartphones, e-mail, texting, instant Facebook notifications it is hard to grasp somebody's attention for any more than 20 seconds, if we're lucky. So being able to sit down across from each other, phones on silent turned face down, with the solitary goal of sharing this precious moment over a cup of good coffee... is priceless.

So I challenge you (and myself) to slow down and carve 30 minutes out of your day, grab an old friend or a new acquaintance, and share life together over a cup of coffee.

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