Total read time: 3 minutes
As June draws to close, I am feeling some pressure to not allow another month (hello, April) to pass without posting. If you were to check out my blog archives, you’d see that my publishing calendar has become anemic; the momentum I rode last fall when I created “186 Days: An Intermission” has taken a turn and is now powering the creation of another blog (more on that in another post).
I’ve started several posts for this blog but can’t seem to finish one with enough confidence to publish it. (My friend, Pamela, on the other hand, has whooshed in from obscurity and insecurity to fabulous, consistent twice-a-week posts on her niche blog, agiftforthriftblog.wordpress.com. Check her out!)
So I’ve resurrected a format from last fall: an update post in the form of a “virtual coffee date,” you know, like catching up with a friend over a hot drink. (Or a cold drink since it is, of course, the end of June and all.)
If we were having coffee right now, I’d offer you a slice of lemon cake. And a bottle of kombucha. And a slice of whole wheat bread. And I’d push a few dog treats on you, too. (I spent the morning in the kitchen.) 
If we were having coffee right now, I’d be drinking ice water with a slice of lemon. If it were after 5pm, I’d go for the hard stuff and sip a diet peach Snapple.
If we were having coffee right now, I’d rave about Canva, my new favorite graphic design platform that allows anyone–even users like me with a serious lack of aesthetic sense–to create professional-looking infographics, social media posts, marketing materials, resumes, advertisements, invitations, and blog graphics (some of which I’ve used on this blog) for free! Canva for the win!
If we were having coffee right now, I would lament the unsavory effects of aging I’ve been feeling over the last couple years but point out that the upside of my deteriorating vision is this lively pair of new specs:
If we were having coffee right now, I’d recount the experience I had last week with a big old turtle on the side of the road near my house. With a shell at least a foot in diameter, he was on the shoulder but gunning to cross the road when I stopped to move him across to safety like I had seen in this PETA video just the week before. Only when I started to pick him up, he put me on the back foot by huffing and resisting me so aggressively that I lost my nerve and left him where I found him. Driving away with a pounding heart and feelings of guilt and regret, I reassured myself that he’d be fine; he was big enough for any driver to see from far enough away to have time to turn and miss him.
A couple days later when I drove the same road, I saw him again, just inches from where I left him. But now he was crushed flat. Though the impact could not have been accidental–he was still on the shoulder, so someone obviously veered off the road to hit him–the outcome forces me to confront humanity’s unblinking self-importance and carelessness.
(Note: A few days after writing this post, another uncanny example unfolded 50 yards from my house: A cyclist was killed after being struck by a presumed-drunk driver who swerved into the bike lane and then fled the scene. Prayers for his wife and three young sons.)
If we were having coffee right now, I’d ask you how you feel about Britain’s decision to leave the EU and what you think will be the social and political implications as well as the economic repercussions on the US. (I feel sophisticated when I use phrases like “economic repercussions” and “social and political implications,” but the truth is, I am pretty foggy on what they mean and really welcome your input here.)
If we were having coffee right now, I’d take a stab at describing my husband’s steely resolve, that special emphasis and focus he somehow brings forth every time a difficult obstacle stumbles haplessly into his path (ref. this 45-second golfing video). Robert Schumacher possesses a determination that accepts only victory.
If we were having coffee right now, I’d invite you to guess who hijacked this post to promote himself.
If we were having coffee right now, what would you tell me?
186 Days: Act II 
I’d tell you I’m kerfuffled by all that’s going on in the world, a good deal of which I don’t understand. I’d tell you I love your blog posts whenever they come and remind you the word Intermission might be in there for a reason 😉 I’d also tell you your glasses are hip and cool. Lastly, for now, I’d tell you thanks for what you bring to the world.
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I’d tell you I love reading your blog. I’d tell you I wish the FOTC concert had worked out. Finally I’d tell you I’d like to make plans to come visit you soon. xoxo
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If we were having coffee right now, I’d be drinking coffee, no matter the time of day.
What would I tell you? I’d first thank you for your delightful promotion of my blog, and mention that it put a smile on my face from ear to ear. I’d also mention that it was wonderful YOU who gave me the courage and the impetus to dive in and just see what happens. You are one of the reasons I’m becoming…(insert our new favorite word here).
Second, I’d tell you that I love your blog, and even though you haven’t given me a great big juicy post to read in a while, until today, I get something even better. I am privileged to know you and see you as often as I do. I hope you’ll keep posting on this blog until 186 days have passed. I can’t wait for your next venture, my friend!
And those glasses! I need a cigarette.
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I would tell you how much I am enjoying chatting with you in person!
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If we were having coffee right now, I would have to hold you responsible (irresponsible?) for keeping me awake until next Thursday. And I would ask your advice about how to convince Charlotte that she should let me brush her teeth. Yesterday’s dental visit for her was $600+ and mine today to repair two aged teeth was $325…is there something wrong with this picture? I would also tell you ( in depth) my opinion of Britain’s divorce from the EU and its complications and implications. I may not always have all the facts but I do always have an opinion. I’d also like to know what you two are doing at the Jersey shore, where Dash and DaisyMoxie are, and when you plan on returning to this stovebox. Note: check my FB post.
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If we were having coffee right now, we’d probably be at Ozo taking up residency on the patio for the next couple hours. If we were having coffee right now, I would be dying to ask you about your homecoming to teaching this fall and how you feel about it. If we were actually having coffee right now, we’d have to be in a Denny’s because Ozo hours don’t accommodate 12:22 am coffee drinkers…yet.
If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you how much joy it brings me to know that you and my mother are kindred spirits. I love hearing stories of you two galavanting around Boulder finding the best steals and deals, and stirring up clever ideas to suite both your talents and gifts you both give to the world.
If we were having coffee right now, I would bring up the time I sat in your classroom pouring my heart out to you about how I was never going to find a date for the dance. I would tell you that I revert back to that conversation often when trying to keep my head up about still not having anyone to go to the dance with, or the weddings this summer with, or hike with, or talk about my new favorite podcasts with. I would tell you that I’ve had this failed experience or that terrible date and say that I realize the one common denominator in all of this is me. And though all of the above is true, you would still find a way to brighten my spirits and lift me up because that is what you do for people. You see the best and the greatest and the shiniest in them and help them realize their own greatness, too. And I would thank you for that.
If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you that my dear friend and current roommate is a first-year teacher in the Adams 12 school system. I would tell you that there are others, just like you, that spend late nights and early mornings planning for the next day, week, month, and year a curriculum that will not only be crucial to students’ learning, but will reach them on a level that most don’t get to meet them on. I would cheer you on into your next adventure with full confidence that you will succeed.
If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you I cannot wait to read more from you, Ms. Hershey.
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What a beautifully written and heart felt sentiment, Chelsea (a former student of Ms. Hershey, I might add).
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How did I forget to mention I love the specs!? They scream smart and sexy
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Ah, thank you! I was hoping they’d have such an effect. 🙂
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