Rising of the sun is, to me, one of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring, and yet completely underappreciated spectacles the human eye can witness. This morning’s wasn’t perfect – a slightly misty sky on the horizon delayed the sun’s appearance by a good six minutes. But still, the sight of that burning crest filled me with an extraordinary calm.
I won’t take coffee to the theater. I could, of course, but shows usually take place in the evenings, and I try to avoid this drink after 2:00 pm. With „Sunrise,” things are different – coffee is even recommended. You have to wake up early and prepare it, but for a show like this, it’s always worth it. Besides – getting up early isn’t really a sacrifice. We’ve turned it into some incredible feat, when in fact it’s perfectly natural. We’re intertwined with the sun by an invisible thread that runs through our eyes, leading to the pineal gland, where light dictates the rhythm of life. When morning sunlight hits the retina, melatonin – the sleep hormone – quiets down, making way for wakefulness. In the evening, the light fades and melatonin flows again, gently putting us to sleep. The sun is a timekeeper, rhythmically guiding us through the silent dance of day and night.
Our lives are also shaped by habits – including that coffee ritual. Coffee feels a bit mysterious to me and seems to spark an internal conflict. On one hand, we become addicted to a ritual, a particular drink. On the other, this ritual has something magical in it, and for connoisseurs, it’s a true symphony of tastes and aromas. Thanks to that symphony, the elusive “here and now” becomes easier to reach and more enjoyable. Coffee seems to stand at the boundary between healthy freedom and destructive enslavement. Although compared to other vices humanity indulges in, coffee seems like child’s play.
Personally, I enjoy it – not too much, not too little – in the spirit of Epicureanism. The all-powerful science is clear: there’s potential in coffee for treating various ailments – neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson’s, adult ADHD, depression, asthma… a topic for another article. My own probably half-diagnosed ADHD might be the reason why coffee doesn’t make me jittery. Focus and calm, rather than bouncing off the walls. Plus, I like the taste, but definitely my way. Without the influence of the caffeine lobby that would have me believe the only proper coffee is $600 a kilo. Day to day, I don’t want to obsessively search for hints of tangerine or – for heaven’s sake – ginkgo in my brew. If I want tangerines, I’d rather listen to Tangerine Dream. Just in bits.
So I return to my waking dream. The sun is already quite high and pleasantly warms the right side of head. It’s going to be a good day. And I’ve got a long way to go before 2:00 pm 😉
matt