Coffee with Calle: One More Ordinary Coffee

Coffee with Calle is a little different today.

I woke up this morning thinking… I could really use a coffee with my dad.

Not for some big, profound conversation. I just want to tell him what I’m working on. Bounce around a few ideas. Hear what he thinks.

My dad just got me. He understood my brain, my work, and what I was trying to build. I miss that more than I can explain..My dad’s heart gave out. There was no knowing which coffee, or conversation would be our last. I believe I’ll have coffee with him again someday, just in a different place.

But losing him taught me something about being here:

We put off a lot of living because we assume there will be time.

And grief can quietly make your world smaller.

Staying home becomes easier.

Saying no becomes easier.

I wasn’t suicidal. I was grieving. And truthfully, I still am.

Grief just changes shape over time. Thankfully, I have people who kept checking in. They called. They invited me. They kept me connected. And that mattered more than they probably knew.

So, with September bringing conversations about mental health and suicide prevention, this is what’s on my mind:

Check on your people. Not because you think something is wrong.

Because they’re your people.

Make the call.

Send the text.

Have the coffee.

Stop assuming there will always be another chance.

Because I’d give just about anything for one more ordinary cup of coffee with my dad. And if someone came to mind while reading this…

Maybe today is a good day to call them.💙