War in Coffee Shops

Lately, I have been spending a majority of my nights in coffee shops finishing some papers both for work and for graduate studies. In between these rigorous sessions, I read and meditate as my soul deliberately needs some catching up.

Much of my efforts to calibrate my mind, to cleanse my heart, to revive my soul, and revive my spirit happen in these dim-lit coffee spaces. I settle my internal differences quietly, I resolve my inner conflicts discreetly. And I have come to realize….

 

There are battles that are unseen.

There are battles that we need to fight on our own.

There are battles where we don’t fight with our fists.

There are battles where the noise doesn’t come from

the clashing of swords,

the shots of guns,

or the banging of shields,

but from the sighs of the heart,

the grunts of our pains

and the heavy breaths of our souls.

 

And in these fights, 

we don’t win when we try harder,

we win by raising our white flags of surrender.

 

 

It’s a lovely rainy Wednesday night.

Dear soul,

Fight well,

surrender well,

even in the coziness of coffee shops.