I drink alone at my house. And I'm talking about coffee. Kevin might have a cup once every few months, but it's only when he really needs to stay awake for work or something. He doesn't enjoy it; it's necessity for him. He likes the smell of it, just not the taste of it.
I, on the other hand, am addicted. I'm sure that some of it is the caffeine, but I'm also quite addicted to the whole coffee experience, in which I indulge twice daily. Once a week I allow myself the luxury of a frou-frou coffee from Starbucks, Cups, or Sneaky Beans, but most of the time I just enjoy my regular coffee at home. I have a 12-cup pot, but I only make one lonely cup in it at a time. (I buy fair trade coffee, so I can't afford to let any go to waste!)
I do doctor my regular coffee up with plenty of sugar and creamer. My grandfather watched me make it once and asked, "Do you want some coffee with that cream and sugar?" If I had to drink it black, though, I would just rather not drink it at all. It tastes like burnt water to me.
I think I had my first cup of coffee when I was 14 years old. My friend Jennifer made it for me, so I started out with all the cream and sugar. I didn't become a coffee addict, though, until after my first baby was born. So it's been almost eight years now. My children all associate me with coffee, often giving me mugs and such on holidays. When we were at the State Fair earlier this month, Caleb excitedly pointed out to me the Cups booth, which was shaped like a giant red coffee cup. He wanted me to see where I could get some coffee! And Callie always tells me that I smell like coffee on Thursdays, when I usually get to spend some time writing in a coffee shop. (I'm okay with smelling like coffee, except when it's my breath they're smelling. I'll be the first one to admit that coffee breath is awful!)
Drinking coffee is a comfort to me. I love that it's warm and sweet with just a touch of bitterness. I love how it makes me feel. It's actually very calming rather than stimulating to me. My morning cup helps me ease into my day, and my afternoon cup helps me get through the rest of it. This break in the afternoon is a good time for me to sit and talk with my kids about their day at school or work on homework with them . . . or play on Facebook.
Yes, I enjoy my coffee. And I'm okay with the fact that I drink alone. But when I do get to enjoy it with friends, that just makes it even better.
My morning cup is done now, and so is this post.
2 comments:
I, too, love my coffee experiences. I even talked my principal into allowing me to keep a coffee maker in my classroom. It somehow makes 4th period easier to like! If you haven't become familiar with it already, check out FRESH-BREWED LIFE by Nicole Johnson. It'll go really well with that first cup.
I've found that coffee is also a must for me. I grew up in a family where coffee was brewed throughout the day -- all day long. When anyone stopped by - coffee was always made. You're not alone on this topic. My wife is just now starting to drink it more and that's after 26 years of marriage.
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