Waking Up and Smelling the Coffee

When I was younger, I loved getting up early in the morning.  I only got up easily on weekends, though, as schooldays were battles with my snooze button who happened to be my mom.  However, on weekends, I could get up so easily because of the excitement that a day of freedom and playfulness brought. 

My mother used to drink coffee every morning.  On those weekends when I would get up early, she would be the only other person awake, standing at the counter with the coffee machine sizzling beside her.  I can remember the smell of the coffee and the feeling I had of anticipation to start the day ahead of me. 

I saw a commercial some time ago that I just remembered which brought up some nostalgic. 

 

Although I don’t like coffee, this ad was absolutely perfect in bringing nostalgic feelings to the viewer.  It gives the anticipation of waking up early and waiting for something exciting.  It offers a feeling of happiness caused by the return and reunion of family who have been away for a while.  It even takes place during the Christmas season, which is a very nostalgic period of recalling memories and reliving past traditions. 

My roommates make coffee nearly every morning now.  The coffee maker is set on a timer so when I wake up early, the smell of coffee is fresh.  Although I’m quite a distance from home, that moment of waking up and smelling the fresh coffee aroma gives me a sense of comfort and peace.  That is the reason I think of the Folgers commercial.  They marketed directly to my nostalgic impulses.  I know that if I had any inclination at all of drinking coffee, I would definitely drink Folgers.

What does this have to do with my life and how is it applicable?  After class, I was thinking about the question that was asked, “What is the most important event that you remember in your life?”  I thought of quite a few big events that have shaped my life, but I could not distinguish one as most important.  The idea that the present time is the most important event was proposed; what is happening here and now because I possess control over it.  This made me think about how much time I waste in the present time thinking about the past or the future.  So many times I spend time dwelling on the past and past mistakes or thinking about future plans. 

I don’t like being caught by advertisers.  When I realized that Folgers had done a good job in preying on my nostalgic feelings, it made me think more about what nostalgia really is and why we continue to fall into its patterns.  Nostalgia is comfortable, it is easy to go back into our memories and pull out the nice, light-hearted memories.  However, we can get caught in routines and fruitless attempts in trying to recreate the past.  That is why the present is so important.  It gives us a fresh start.  We don’t need to worry about the future like it says in Matthew, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough to worry about on its own.”  What we can do is faithfully serve the Lord during the time we have, being imitators of Him. 

Don’t get me wrong, the past is important as a learning tool and to shape the present as a precedent.  However, if we get in the habit of following routines and traditions that are only for the benefit of the recreation of our own feelings, then what is the purpose?  We ought to let the Lord guide us into the uncomfortable areas so that we may find true peace.  We should be in constant pursuit, not looking back to what once was, but living now and looking ahead to the riches of Christ Jesus.  For we can always look to the Lord, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.