An Eighth Shot of Espresso: Coffee and Creativity on Mum's Third Shift

What's in the letter? Is it the joyous shine of good news? Or the deepest despair of bad news? A bill for the labor of modern life? A random appeal from some idealistic charity? The slick paper and bright colors of the new restaurant or solar panel installers in town? Like Schroedinger's cat you won't know if it's something you want or something you ignore until you open it.

At the time the monarch held the lives of his subjects the power granted by the grace of God. He must appear strong might makes right Even the rules of religion and its edicts couldn't stand in his way. And those who displeased him paid the ultimate price. Heads literally rolled Fortunes literally unmade Loyalty literally betrayed. Too bad Death took him like those who went before. Grand tomb never made Legacy forever stained God's judgement is final.

What lurks behind the sun after all there cannot be light without shadow. The seen without the unseen. Two sides of the same coin They cannot be separated. Yet people accept one and deny the other. Day follows night and such is the law of nature it has always been this way and no one questions it. Waves ebb and flow the tide comes in, encroaching then drains out, retreating only to surge through again. What makes the darkness evil? Is it the unknown, the uncertainty? Surely the brightness of light illuminates all to be known. But the light can't reach everywhere. It cannot reveal everything which is why the darkness hides behind the sun.

Eyes the color of ocean mist that pale blue, almost white impenetrable, implacable almost clouded but clear what secrets do you hide as you look at me, my child? An old soul in a young body You look at things in new and exciting ways trace patterns forgotten recombine them to fit whatever you see now. The past buried deeply in the realm of dreams mirrored in the hues of the waking world. You know the impossible yet seek the improbable. Where does this wonder come from? And how can you keep it from going dim as your vision seeks more from this harsh reality? For now your eyes can see what can be made true.

A Divine Door doesn't have to lead into a church. It is a portal to deep and mysterious places. The mouth of a cave gaping wide with siren song of adventure. An entrance to the depths of your sleeping mind. An exit to the Light on the opposite side. Old rotted wood stone scoured clean peeling paint. Where does it lead? Where is that sound coming from? What are dreams made of? The dust that floats in the middle of a sunbeam. Do you have the strength the courage, the imagination to walk on through?

I can fix them just by the power of goodwill and suggestion. I know what's good for them I know how to solve all their problems. Just give me a chance I'll do a good job I can save them from themselves. It's my duty to fix the broken to comfort the unhappy and to make everything all right If there is a will there is a way and I know they have the will all they need is the way and I can give that. They just need motivation to move forward And the encouragement to change their ways of life and to better themselves We can lift them up to the light and if they save themselves they can thank me for giving them the courage.

Extra padding Going through and cutting through the fat Inflated statistics to make you look good. Obfuscate the truth and need to dig deep to see the reality. A salad of intelligent words nine or ten when only five should do A mess of sycophants when a handful of good friends will always have your back. See counts go down peace of mind go up See popularity dip and numbers shrink but lose the weight and fly free.

 (All prompts from #vss365 on Twitter/X. Prompt word marked with #) Here in the #aery where the falcons all fly free safe from predators. #Archipelago islands in tropical seas time for vacation! #Graph 's lines up and down and track all the highs and lows approval or none a pointed needle this #acanthes -thesia stabbing and jabbing and my nerves are all on fire my cries are only silence. Time is a circle it just seems like a straight line #chronos is confused. Not a daisy, but an #aster , small and dainty blooms in the autumn. It's so #poetic history repeats itself no lessons are learned. Cycle of #rebirth from old life to the new one you're learning again. What if your knight who shines in scale-mail armour is a good #dragon ? It runs like #clockwork : sins repeat generations so break the cycle. #serendipity : you would not be here if the fate was different. #Coins locked in a vault Gold, silver, copper await Centuries later. A #marvelous tale: rabbit flies ove

To rest To read To renew To indulge yourself. Why is this so wrong? To be in solitude To fill your empty cup To connect with your inner voice Why is this so hated? To focus your attention To change your perspective To talk with your Muse Why must this be 'lazy'? To restore your creative spirit To begin again To simply be Because doing this makes you too powerful.

My Muse is so fickle: Here one day, gone the next. Gets interrupted by stray thoughts Distracted by shiny things "Hold that thought, let's explore this!" I can barely keep up with Her. Inspiration comes and goes when I need Her guidance She holds up a finger and says, "Not yet, not right now." Then at three in the morning She yells into my ear: "Hey, here's an idea!" The light bulb appears in dreams that fizzle out when I wake. But sometimes, just sometimes She comes in and prods me in the right direction. I listen, she chatters on and I take notes with a smile.

What is survival? Making it through the day with your sanity intact? Having enough food in your belly. water to stave off thirst a roof over your head to protect you from the rain. Agonizing over to pay rent or bills or meals for the children Going with or without dragging your feet for hours mind numbing repetition only to come home to repeat it again and again and not think or feel anything beyond that. How can you contemplate the universe or politics or philosophy or morals if you have no room for a future beyond the next sunrise and sunset?

What do they tell you when they look at you with those wise eyes older than the sands of time? A loyalty earned, A love eternal. Years aren't enough life is fleeting but every day every hour every minute every second is worth it as far as they are concerned. And the happiness from sunrise to sunset lasts forever with every bark meow caw squeak it echoes in memory always.

 It was written in the margins: Hic Sunt Dracones Here be dragons a tiny sketch of a sea serpent curled up to strike at unsuspecting sailors on a voyage of discovery. Unknown territory uncharted Who knows what may lie beyond the borders of the world? The danger, the excitement to go boldly there and to come back with stories to tell with riches to show with knowledge to share. The spirit of pushing the borders and bringing the mysterious into the light of day. Prove it can be done the risks are worth it even if the maw of the dragon gapes wide on the horizon. Step out of the comfort zone and perhaps find what you have been seeking all this time.

When inspiration hits an instant realization of a budding idea you need to capture it before it floats away to be lost in the ether forever. It can be a simple thing a good thought a bland one a basic one just write it down give it form and substance. You might not look at it for hours or days or months forget that it's there but one day you stumble over it again. And perhaps it's the perfect solution to the problem you currently have and it's serendipity but also planned at the same time.

It's so poetic history repeats itself no lessons are learned. The very same mistakes are made Time's judgments are forgotten. "This cannot happen We are better than this. The past will stay there This is a brand new future and we have changed and evolved." But the more things change and the more things stay the same People are people with all their glorious flaws and all of their true courage. Strife and hardship comes challenging the status quo justice miscarried establishment needs power to enforce the old thinking. Only much later when history unfurls and the results come will we see who is right and who is on the wrong side.