This past weekend, I dedicated my mornings to running 10km and walking 5km, every morning from Friday through to Sunday. Why, you might ask? Truthfully, I also wish I had a proper answer for you.
By the time Sunday morning rolled around, however, it felt as though the fatigue from all three days had decided to arrive at once. Somewhere along my route, exactly on the 10km mark, I found myself at Café Nush Village Walk.
Café Nush has become somewhat of a Harare staple over the years, with branches spread across places like Highland Park, Avondale, and Village Walk. Yet the Village Walk branch remains my personal favourite, perhaps because it is the one I started with and the one that always feels most familiar.
At that point, I ordered a hazelnut latte along with their famous homestyle chocolate cake. In that moment, that sweetness felt like exactly what I needed, a small reward and a temporary source of energy after kilometres of convincing myself that I still had more left in the tank.
My original plan was simple enough: recharge briefly, then continue the rest of the journey home on foot. Safe to say, that did not happen.
I somehow managed to complete the remaining 5km walk, but after that, I gladly accepted defeat and found myself in a friend’s car headed home to freshen up before going straight back out again for the Zim Open Golf Tournament.
Looking back now, a hazelnut latte and a slice of chocolate cake can feel just as rewarding as crossing a finish line.
Coffee fact: Coffee was once banned in places like Mecca and parts of Europe because leaders feared its stimulating effects and the political discussions happening in coffeehouses. Ironically, those same cafés later became important centres for creativity, conversation, and business.