Last week we covered the fact that I make my coffee in a French press. I don’t do it because it’s trendy. Not because I’m a coffee snob – well not totally. I do it because good things take a little work – and because a girl named Maddy told me I was making coffee wrong all my life. And she was right.
Measure the beans. Grind them fresh. Heat the water. Pour slowly.
And then something interesting happens.
The first splash of hot water hits the grounds and they start bubbling. Expanding. Releasing gas.
Coffee people call this the bloom.
If you rush past this step, the coffee falls flat. The flavor never fully opens up. But if you slow down and let it bloom for a moment before adding the rest of the water, something changes.
The aroma fills the room. The flavor deepens. The cup gets better.
And life works the same way.
We’re wired to rush. Fix it now. Decide now. Respond now. Solve it immediately.
But sometimes the smartest thing you can do is pause before the full pour.
Let things bloom.
When life hits you with something heavy maybe a tough decision, a conflict, a setback our instinct is to react fast. Say something. Do something. Push forward. Fire that email.
But clarity rarely shows up in the middle of reaction.
It shows up in the pause. In the bloom time.
In the moment where you let things expand a little. Where you breathe. Where you give the situation just enough space to reveal what’s really going on.
That’s where perspective starts forming. That’s where wisdom sneaks in.
You don’t need to stall forever. Coffee doesn’t bloom all morning. But it does need a moment.
Just enough time for the good stuff to wake up. The same goes for life.
Before the full response…
Before the big decision…
Before you pour all your energy into something…
Pause. Let it bloom.
You might be surprised what rises to the surface when you give life just a little time.
And while you’re at it, pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy the process.
Because the best things in life, like a great cup of coffee, don’t come from rushing the steps.
They come from letting the moment open up first. The best part of waking up is the smell of a fully bloomed cup of coffee.
