The Smartest Cup of Coffee

I should have paid attention to that voice that said, "Something's not quite right here."  I should have waited to fix what went wrong, but I didn't.  And as I cleaned up the horrific mess which could have easily been avoided, I couldn't help but think how often I ignore the wisest part of me.

As I went about my normal morning routine of making coffee, I noticed as I slipped the plastic filter into place that something felt slightly askew.  It would have only taken but a few seconds to double-check everything was working properly, but after hearing the machine begin to percolate, I just assumed everything was hunky-dorey.   To a coffee drinker, it's a satisfying sound when one hears the final spit and hiss which signals your morning brew is ready to be poured and consumed. This morning it was that sound accompanied by a growing puddle on the kitchen counter that warned me of the impending disaster.

And then I couldn't believe what I did next.  I grabbed the plastic filter which was full of hot coffee and tried to carefully wrest it away from the rest of the machine. You can guess what happened next, yes?  As the scalding liquid sloshed over my hand, I let go of the filter and watched as the cupboards, drawers and floor were suddenly awash in coffee grounds and brown water.  I stood there for a moment amazed at my own stupidity and found it surprising I wasn't shouting obscenities at an inanimate object. What in the world was it that had compelled me to confirm the truth (the filter hadn't been secured onto the machine properly and because of that, as well as seeing the evidence of an overflow on the counter, one could correctly assume the filter was full of hot coffee) I already knew?   

As I nurse my burned hand with a package of frozen corn and slowly sip my cup of coffee (made very carefully from a new pot), I've been pondering that question this morning and considering other areas in my life where I don't listen to wisdom within.  The truth is...if I listened more to that intelligent voice of confidence and self-assuredness, I know I would be a lot further along in writing my book. I hope it doesn't take more scalding to be shown how smart I really am.