The Crumbs Of Life...

I took this picture while still groggy, I think I did pretty well.


The early morning hours, when the world is at it's most vulnerable and when my thoughts are the most clear. I sat at a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee shop on the corner of East 15th & Avenue M in the Midwood section of Brooklyn this morning on my way to work. There was no time for the hearty breakfast that I usually have and there were only a few minutes to spare, so I opted for something quick: a banana walnut muffin and a cup of French Vanilla coffee.

I sat watching people as they engaged in their morning routines: there were store owners opening up their shops and sweeping the sidewalk, women pushing baby carriages and comforting their fussy little ones and teenagers drawn in by conversation while walking to school. I found my mind racing as I sat in the fuchsia and orange world that was the coffee shop. I stared blankly at my breakfast muffin and pondered the thoughts of these strangers. What do they think of everyday? Does the store owner think that his business is going well based on sales or what he has be told…does the young mother feel competent in her role…does the teenage boy feel inadequate among his friends?

I find it amazing how other people’s opinions of us shape how we think of ourselves. Admittedly, I’ve walked around with other people’s opinions and ideas of who I am my whole life. But as I sat with the remnants of that muffin I couldn’t help but wonder; should atrocities be the only instruments that dictate a life and follow us as a value of our lives? Life is a series of ebbs and flows. We are not our mistakes. It’s like the crumbs of the muffin that was my breakfast. There were many ingredients that came together in making that muffin and everything that contributed to its making is important.

The one crumb that fell away from the muffin doesn't make it any less delicious. Its funny how pastries have played such an integral part of my life lately, as it took my biting into a cupcake to see that I want to be happy and now a muffin and coffee are the eye opener to self acceptance. I am going to be okay and I am in fact a good person, despite the opinion of the world outside this window.

After taking this picture the guy at the table next to me decided to ask if I was working on some sort of project. "Yes", I said "Its called MY LIFE!"

I picked up the last fledgling crumb from the parchement and popped it into my mouth. I honestly feel that although that crumb was not the complete representation of the muffin, the crumb itself was quite good. John Lennon once said that life is what happens while you're busy making other plans, but I venture to guess that the essence of what life can be happens while having a muffin and a cup of coffee.