Around the Fire // A series on food, drink, and the rituals that bind us

Coffee Before First Light

The coffee pot is set the night before.

I wake up to the smell of it brewing. Still dark outside. The house is quiet. The kids are asleep.

I pour a cup. Fill a tumbler for the drive. If I'm taking the boat, I fill a thermos too.

Then I sit.

This is my favorite part of the day. Not the first cast. Not the first fish. The silence before any of it begins.

I sit at the kitchen table with my coffee and The Fly Fish Journal. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I just stare out the window and watch the darkness begin to fade.

I'm not thinking about much. Where I'll go. Which ramp if I'm taking the boat. Which run if I'm on foot. Whether to tie on the fly that worked last time or the one I tied at the bench last night and haven't tested yet.

The day eases in.

There's a rhythm to it. Set the pot the night before. Wake up before dawn. Pour the coffee. Sit. It's the same every time, and that's the point.

Most mornings I'm alone. If I'm fishing with someone, we meet at the ramp or I pick them up and we ride together. Even then, the early morning stays quiet. Coffee in the cup holder. The hum of the truck. The road ahead.

The silence between you isn't awkward. You're both awake for the same reason. You both know what's coming.

I drink coffee every morning. But the coffee before first light is different.

I love the darkness. Not because I'm trying to beat anyone to the water. I like that nothing has really started yet.

In October, there's more of it.

The phone is quiet. The roads are empty. The world hasn't quite woken up. For a little while, there is nowhere else I need to be.

Soon enough I'll be standing knee-deep in cold water or motoring up the river with the sun starting to clear the trees.

But not yet.

I finish the cup and head outside.

The truck is cold. The gas stations are just opening. The sky shifts from black to deep blue. Headlights catch mist hanging over the low fields.

By the time I pull into the ramp, I'm ready. Not rushed. Not anxious. Just ready.

Before the first cast. Before the first fish. Before you know what kind of day it's going to be. Just coffee in the dark, and the day still ahead.

~ John