A little over a year ago, I got laser eye surgery and was hyped up on medication when a couple friends of mine Skyped me to chat. I don’t remember how we got on the subject, but I do remember that I said something along the lines of the following (and I said it with a Scottish accent - Heidi-on-pain-meds often has an accent):
“You know, people just want to dump out all their potential like it’s tap water! But everyone’s a latte! A well-crafted, fancy, delicious latte!”
They laughed. I laughed. I took my medication for the night and fell asleep.
After that, I got to thinking: It’s true. Most of the time, I treat myself as though I’m accidental or incidental, not as though I am fearfully and wonderfully made. On the assumption that other people feel the same way, I created a thing I called “Latte Day.”
Latte Day is the day when you tell the people in your life what you see about them that makes them awesome: what it is you love about them, what it is that you see that they might not. Basically, you remind them that they aren’t tap water. They’re a latte, and someone you love a latte (it’s a pun). Whatever makes them special, what is beautiful and lovely and praiseworthy, objectively and to you, is what they get to hear. This isn’t just for couples, or friends, or family; it’s for anyone you want to share with. And it’s about them: making sure they know how they matter and that they matter to you. At the end of receiving a latte, they should feel encouraged (filled with courage) and loved.
There’s no limit to how many Latte Days there can be in a year. If you need a compliment, and you know people who participate in Latte Day, ask them for a latte (it’s easier to say “I need a latte” than “I need compliments” for most people). Latte Day is whenever you need it to be.
Over the last year, Latte Day has become one of the most important things to me — it’s given me a way to tell the people I love what I love about them, and to ask to hear what I need to hear. It’s given more chances for sincerity and, through receiving lattes, taught me that I might not be the most objective observer of myself. Latte Day is about being honest, holding nothing back. When the alarms sounded on every phone in Hawaii and we all thought there may be a missile headed for us, I had nothing I hadn’t said. That’s a feeling I never want to lose.
The news in our world is difficult. Life is difficult, and short, and beautiful. Let’s be there for each other. I think, today, we might need a Latte Day.
Photo by Salomé Watel on Unsplash