I met my younger self for coffee this morning. ☕️

I say "morning", but neither of us is a morning person. So we met at 10:30, and it was still a bit too early for her... but she would never tell me that. She's a people pleaser, and even though she hates it, she can't seem to break the habit. Yet.

She was anxiously 10 mins early, but sat in her car until I arrived while looking at the menu on her phone, predetermining what she would order. And embarrassingly practicing her script in her head. I was right on time (okay fine, I was 2 mins late) and went in as soon as I arrived, greeting the baristas with a smile. I asked if they had tried the seasonal drinks yet, and we chatted about our shared love of reading and swapped book rec's.

My 21-year-old self met me inside (after watching me walk in and feeling awkward about it) and we shared a hug. She would say she wasn't really a hugger, but she squeezed me back.

She insisted on getting her own coffee, and even though I knew she was living off of frozen ravioli, I let her. I guess I've learned how to choose my battles.

"I'll have an iced caramel macchiato"
"One iced blonde vanilla latte with oat milk, please! And two scones :)"

But I'll always get the final word. This time, with scones.

We sat with our drinks at a booth in the corner so we could gossip in peace. We both love that. 😇

She told me about the job that was simultaneously sucking her soul and helping her figure out her life, and about the boys on her roster. I laughed at her dating misadventures and told her about my husband, showing her a photo of a boy she hadn't met yet. She couldn't believe I got married.

We both gushed about our best friends; her telling me about last weekend out at the bars and me showing her too many photos of their kids and partners. I feel really lucky that we're talking about the same women, then and now.

I told her about the trip I just returned from to visit her roommate in Scotland. I packed the same carry-on that she took to Costa Rica last Christmas, but traveled by myself for the first time instead of with my family.

I asked her what podcasts she's listening to right now (so. much. Crime Junkie. And she wonders why she's so anxious all the time…) and told her about my current audiobook that's making me laugh AND cry. She told me she feels guilty that she doesn't read more for fun, and I assured her that she'd get back to it one day.

We were both picking at the last scone crumbs left behind, knowing our time together was coming to an end but wanting to savor every last second.

As she sipped the last bit of her macchiato, she asked if we could meet up again. I looked at her with so much love, and suggested we make it a regular thing. She beamed with appreciation. We shared another hug before we left, and she held on a moment longer than before. But we still both forgot to take a selfie together before we parted.