before my coffee gets cold

Inspired by the 2015 novel by Japanese author Toshikazu Kawaguchi, this series features observations, reflections, and stories told from the chairs of my favorite coffee shops. Each one is written, edited, and finalized — all before my coffee gets cold.

Lea Hughes Lea Hughes

Diagnosis

Like many of us growing up in the 90s, I had a very specific vision of what ADHD looked like.

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you are not who you once were.

People often believe, in my experience, that they can think their way through any mental hurdle — that, with enough education, context, and rational thought, they simple won’t have to suffer the complexities of their brain.

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life isn’t waiting.

Last weekend, I put out a post on Instagram. It had a carousel of pictures: a collection of photographs I took from a trip with some friends.

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Social media kinda sucks. But also…

According to the Oxford dictionary, author is defined as “a writer of a book, article, or report.” You might notice that there are no signs of words like professional, money-making, or lucrative.

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main character energy

Last week, I was walking into work and listening to music — and as I often do when I’m listening to music, I was dancing a bit as I walked.

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a letter to present-day me

As part of my goal-setting, my coach asked me to write a letter to present-day me, from the perspective of one year from now.

Here’s that letter:

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“I want to be afraid, and do it anyway.”

Hello, 2026. We’re two days in, and I already feel as though I’ve welcomed you with open arms. But before I entirely say goodbye to 2025, I want to take a moment to acknowledge good ol’ 2025.

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“how I remember it.”

Many times in my life, I’ve had what I like to call a cinematic experience. It’s those moments you look back on later and think, “If they ever made a movie about my life, that scene would for sure be in it.”

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Deep breath.

From Lea’s Journal, dated 12/4/2025:

I’m supposed to write a newsletter for tomorrow.

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Little LEGOs

Imagine, for a moment, your long-term partner turned to you and said, “Hey, so I just got this incredible job opportunity…”

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