This is for you, Alan

These days, my life is fairly simple. I often rise in the wee hours of the morning, in order to be at work (JJ Bean, House of Coffee) at an ungodly hour most days. I would have never called myself a morning person before this fall, when it was required of me, but now I must admit that it is a special thing to be up before dawn and be privileged to witness the radiant colours of the sunrise. I also feel that my days are fuller because of it; not because I find more things to do, but it is something else that I can't quite put my finger on. I think it's the little things that I find most satisfying about it... The quiet of the morning, the calm traffic when nobody is awake enough to have road rage, even though it's busy. I get to interact with ordinary people on their way to their ordinary jobs every day, and many of them I get to see every day. Life is beautiful.

I think the workplace itself helps this to be manifest in my life. At the espresso bar, it's our job to understand and appreciate these little pleasures. For most people it's just coffee, but we get the privilege to treat them with the best stuff. But it doesn't stop there, it transfers to other parts of my life. A fine bottle of wine, a waft of pipe tobacco, a selection of Walt Whitman poems - all these small things, when put together, enrich our lives in an incredible way. Take the time people, relax. Enjoy your life. Slow down a little bit. Serve someone. Be inspired to live .

This simplicity inspires me to write my music. A favourite topic as of late has been that of love. I'm not in love, nor am I in any significant relationship with a member of the fairer sex, but love is none-the-less something that I write about. And I can't explain why. Which is beautiful. That's what makes us human, I think. To venture a guess, perhaps it has something to do with Advent. As we anticipate the coming of our Saviour, I wonder if I am anticipating a coming of someone to myself? Am I silly to draw this parallel? Am I right in presupposing such an idea? Either way, this romantic, intimate love is something that I do not have, yet it is a desire of mine. I am learning to wait for her, and long, as I do for Christ my King. I guess that's why marriage is a biblical metaphor for the love that Christ has for his bride, the Church. It's special, intimate, personal, and we must wait for it.

Merry Christmas, everyone.