"Have you ever seen anything so wonderful in your life?" - Ariel, Walt Disney's The Little Mermaid

You can never get that true feeling of pure childhood joy back once you know its exists; the truth is that once you recognise it exists, it's already gone. You can, however, catch a glimpse of it in something, something that reminds you of that innocent time when magic was real and fairies flew.

I got it back the other day. It crept up the back of my neck as I sat in a flying pirate ship with London 'passing by' beneath me. The moment passed; my somewhat 'jaded' 21-year-old mind refused to suspend the feeling longer than a few seconds. I bought a coffee and complained about my sore feet.

I still remember that tingle though, even the most cynical person couldn't really admit to themselves that they hadn't felt it. So i promise myself that I'll keep it as a reminder of the power of wonder and the magic of innocence - getting it is a joy, but being able to give it is truly a gift.

Don't forget your raincoat when you go swimming (unless you're a mermaid!) xx

"Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant."

...so it sounds pretty harmless right? One would assume that a beverage derived from a bean would be an inconsequential, natural concoction...no?

"It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil."

...herein lies our first clue. Why is the world spending almost as much on these little beans as they are on oil? Coffee isn't an energy-sustaining fuel...??

"Due to its caffeine content, coffee can have a stimulating effect in humans..."

...ah but it DOES fuel us. An 'oil' for the body, the 'rocket fuel' of the weary, the saviour of the sleep-deprived, the kick-starter of our engines...But is that all? Surely not...

"Coffee has played an important role in many societies throughout history. In Africa and Yemen, it was used in religious ceremonies."

...ok so it was once part of religious ritual, even banned in some denominations...But is that why I ritualistically crawl out of bed every day to brew my morning cup before all else? I don't think religious sentiment is on my mind as I stumble for my Lavazza...

"The Harvard School of Public Health state that "the overall balance of risks and benefits [of coffee consumption] are on the side of benefits." Various other studies have shown apparent reductions in the risks of Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Heart Disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, cirrhosis of the liver Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and gout."

...so is the reason we have 16,120 Starbucks stores in 49 countries across the world? Do i spend almost half my grocery money on Italian imported coffee at the international supermarket in Japan in an attempt to ward of gout?...I think not!

...humans have fallen in love with this 'drink of the gods.' There is something inexplicable about the pleasure found in the 'wine of the bean' that makes it rich with an almost mystical air. It is the aroma, taste, medicinal properties, physical effects and ritualistic consumption traditions of coffee that have turned this humble beverage into the global phenomenon it is today...

...and for those who are not yet citizens of the coffee world, I pity thee!

"No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness."

~Sheik Abd-al-Kadir

Don't forget your raincoat if you go swimming (after your morning coffee that is!) xx

Sources: http://www.wikepedia.com/, www.google.com/images, http://www.quotegarden.com/

Th sky's bigger than you ever thought it was and the lights can shine even bright if you ask them to. Hours can last longer than their minutes and all the things you thought were barriers can dissipate if you only dare to imagine they can.

Don't forget your raincoat xx

Drift (verb): to be carried along by currents of water or air, or by the force of circumstances.

I'm not drifting, but I feel right now that perhaps life around me is, and that I'm merely being pulled along. The city lives, works, plays and sleeps all around me just the same as if I wasn't here. I've been scooped up my the ever- moving tide and it's taking me along for the ride, I feel a bit like a passenger rather than the driver. I think a certain lifestyle can do that to you, and it's not necessarily something negative or deliberately entered into. I think maybe sometimes you need to sit back and enjoy the ride, but at the same time you can't stay permanently passive in your own life. Passivity makes for dull souls yet speed and tunnel-vision makes for a half-lived life.

That's enough to dwell on for tonight...

Don't forget your raincoat if you go swimming xx