Thanks for sharing this, Jordan Soliday. A truly poetic and poignant piece that brought me into that brewery with you and then took me on a curious journey. 🙏
I’m grateful for any journey with you, Matt. The act of writing, editing, and sharing without any assistive tools was a quiet thrill. Even though it’s not my best writing, the constraint is what I found most interesting. The unassisted mind—wandering and half-remembering and occasionally wrong—produces something the assisted mind cannot.
It’s palpable. It’s like the difference between drinking Maxwell House drip coffee from a Mr. Coffee machine, and enjoying a coffee where the aromatic beans were carefully selected, roasted, ground in front of you—with a few spilled on the floor in the process—and then, as the barista makes small talk about life, gently pours the perfectly-heated water over the grounds. When you lean in for the sip, you can smell earth, and all of its bitterness and sweetness (and a few notes in between). The Maxwell House delivers caffeine. The other connects you. That’s what you’ve done for me with this. I am inspired.
Thanks for sharing this, Jordan Soliday. A truly poetic and poignant piece that brought me into that brewery with you and then took me on a curious journey. 🙏
I’m grateful for any journey with you, Matt. The act of writing, editing, and sharing without any assistive tools was a quiet thrill. Even though it’s not my best writing, the constraint is what I found most interesting. The unassisted mind—wandering and half-remembering and occasionally wrong—produces something the assisted mind cannot.
It’s palpable. It’s like the difference between drinking Maxwell House drip coffee from a Mr. Coffee machine, and enjoying a coffee where the aromatic beans were carefully selected, roasted, ground in front of you—with a few spilled on the floor in the process—and then, as the barista makes small talk about life, gently pours the perfectly-heated water over the grounds. When you lean in for the sip, you can smell earth, and all of its bitterness and sweetness (and a few notes in between). The Maxwell House delivers caffeine. The other connects you. That’s what you’ve done for me with this. I am inspired.
Wow. I am touched. From caffeine to connection. Love the analogy and your sensory writing brings it to life.