It was an easy drive this morning. The Bay Bridge was effortless, for a change. I headed east on the 24 freeway to Oakland’s Montclair district, parked the Tacoma, and walked into Nelly’s Organic Java on Mountain Boulevard.

Seeing Claudia and Nelly is like visting with old neighbors – it’s not melancholy at all. I embrace them warmly this morning, and Claudia creates the best organic doubleshot cappuccino in the known universe. She remembers.

It was here that the pages of the book came to life. It was here that this blog was polished. I spent most weekday mornings here, creating a distraction from the mess I was experiencing as I worked on my reinvention.

I will never forget Nelly and Claudia, and what they did for me. Being in the coffee shop so often, we got to know each other. We have the the best kind of friendship, a sweet but deeply understood dynamic. It was a few notches deeper than superficial, indeed. They checked in on me. I became familiar with their families and children, too.

This place is like a comfortable blanket. I come back now and again to catch up, not to wax about what it was like then, rather to catch up on the here and now.

It’s a good morning.

sent to you on my iPad