Life Fueled By Muertos - Easter

I had someone laugh about my "black death" coffee a couple days ago and it confused me. I was like, "what are you talking about?" He said, "yeah, you have skulls and stuff." I knew what he meant and I knew I wasn't going to change his view of my logo right then and there. All I could do (and can do) is love those people and share with them. So, that's what I'm doing here.

I have gotten some feedback that Muertos Coffee is "morbid." I don't really see it that way. I have also heard people say that wearing a cross around your neck is morbid. The cross was used for killing people. They compared it to wearing an electric chair as jewelry. I understood what they were getting at...but, it doesn't process in my brain that way.

I think that people want everything to be sunny and rainbows and skipping through flowers. That's not real though. There is so much pain in everything beautiful. It is the paradox of life. If you you never suffered, if you never felt pain, then I would say you probably haven't really lived. Or maybe you have just lived on the surface, not having made it down to the depths of human capacity.

It is when the darkness surrounds us that we see the light so clearly. We have so many analogies of this..."light at the end of the tunnel," or "stars in the darkest night," etc. All of these things exemplify our existence here. It is during the Easter season that this paradox becomes very real for me. Christ was no exception to this. He was the epitome of it. Through his death, life was given to all. In the story of Good Friday, we see the worst of humanity. Yet, from that came the greatest gift possible. 

A very personal story: My wife and I suffered a late miscarriage of our first child. He was at 13.5 weeks. I remember the first time I watched his little heart beat. I remember watching the screen when they confirmed his heart was not beating anymore. I remember the heartbreak. I'd never felt anything like that before. It was the worst I have ever felt to date. After we came through, I looked back and I had to give thanks for my baby. He made my marriage better. He made me better. He taught me so much about life and love and I never even got to speak with him. On my timeline, there is a Brandon before my baby and a better Brandon after my baby. It was the worst thing to happen to me and the best.

That is what I think about during the Easter season. That is why I decided to go with #LifeFueledByMuertos. There is so much good that comes from the tragedies of life, from the impact of an unborn baby all the way up to The Crucifixion. There will be darkness. There will be sadness. There will be pain. Never lose sight of the good that comes from these. The stone will be rolled away. The sun will shine again. We will look back on these experiences, focus on the good, and be better for it.

That is at the heart of the Easter story. That is what is at the heart of Dia de los Muertos. That is not morbid. It is very pragmatic and positive.

I leave you with this. The story of Jesus is life, a life fueled by his death. He defeated death and with his resurrection he gave life to all. Live that life to the fullest. And since you only have one, don't waste it drinking crappy coffee.