I have a confession to make. I think that the Thanksgiving meal is overrated. Though I meticulously plan, scour magazines and old cookbooks for recipes, take thrill in the bustle of grocery shopping the week before, and coordinate the day as if it were a Broadway show, the meal itself can seem a bit anticlimactic. It’s not for lack of loving the food, my family and friends, or the chaos of trying to get the little turkeys to sit still long enough to take a photo. Mostly, the meal can feel a bit too formal as the main event. There’s a bit of pressure to talk about accomplishments, future plans, or worse, politics. What I really love is all the noise leading up to the big moment.
However odd, I find that the thing I miss most this year is Thanksgiving Eve, the calm before the storm. Family members roll in from long travels, friends ring the doorbell and are greeted with joy. There’s usually pizza, wine, catching up, and a little bit of preparation for the next day’s cooking. Maybe we’ll chop some vegetables while listening to Al Green, or make pie crusts or prep a pan of au gratin potatoes with Beyoncé in the background, or just head down to our neighborhood haunt and tell old stories. No matter what happens there’s always a reconnecting. I think that’s it. The intentional coming together of people to celebrate just that, being together. Thanksgiving has always been about celebrating the people you love and get to spend your life with while taking time to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re going, a natural checkpoint.
This year, however, is (word of 2020) different. And if I’m honest, I’m getting a little tired of different. I’d prefer to have a little of the same. And though today’s table will be filled with a lot of the same foods, there’s a lot that it won’t be filled with. To me, that’s where you come in. You see, over the past 8+ months, my friends and I at Peace Coffee have been party to some really amazing support. We’ve heard stories of how our coffee has created a sense of sameness in an otherwise ever-changing landscape. I know what you’re thinking…you realize you’re talking about coffee, right? Yes, exactly.
Though it might seem outlandish to talk about coffee as life-changing or life-sustaining, the very reason we’re a company is to help that adjective become reality. From our farmer partners worlds away to our staff here in Minneapolis, we believe that coffee can be a conduit of change whether you’re growing it to feed your family or you’re brewing it to be awake to feed your family. And thanks to you, in the face of what could’ve been a very grim ending we’ve seen hope and growth.
Has it all been sunshine and roses? Of course not. We watched out our back door as our community bled for the unjust murder of a man who should still be alive. We made some tough decisions, and we had to push to change much of our operation in this new reality. Through all of this, you all have been consistent, the best kind of same. You’ve sought out Peace Coffee, shared it with friends, and shared moments with us that have been inspiring in many ways. To be able to fill your table with a hot cup of comfort, energy, sanity, motivation, or whatever you may call it, is what keeps us working hard each day all along the line of folks involved in making it happen from field to fleet.
Take it from me sitting at my kitchen table with two toddlers making cookies and confections out of play sand while dressed in Halloween costumes, even though the difference of this moment is taxing, even though your days ebb from the verge of professional productivity to amateur anarchy, having another meal with my family is no concession to choosing to do my part to help our community get to the light at the end of this tunnel. So go ahead, take another sip of coffee and stop for a moment. Enjoy the sameness and comfort it can bring, and brace yourself for the next unexpected twist, we’ll be here for you when you need us.
