The Importance of Coffee

As a child, there wasn’t a day that went by when I didn’t awake to the robust essence of my parents’ morning addiction drifting upstairs from the kitchen.

Though I’ve always adored the pleasant aroma of a fresh pot brewing, I didn’t begin drinking coffee until I was 33. The decade since my affair with coffee began has been one of the longest surviving loves in my life, second only to my 17 year-old son.

It began when I accepted a position that required regular travel between Chicago and New York. Initially, I believed I would get by with the occasional Diet Coke in the morning as I always had. Two weeks into the job, I understood why my colleagues were drinking coffee.

I dove right into bold, dark roasts without dipping my toes into lighter varieties to test the waters. I guess that makes sense for me since I’m an all or nothing kind of gal.

Coffee became that something-more needed to help me survive the early morning drives to the airport, flight delays, long afternoon meetings, and the late nights that had invaded my life. It became a supportive friend that I could rely on without question.

Years later when my daughter was born and I stopped working, my reliable friend remained true and provided the much-needed support motherhood requires. And it's stainless maker provided shiny entertainment for my newborn when I was desperate to brew my fix. We hit some bumps along the way during the pregnancy but made it through in the end.

I’ve only recently realized how important coffee really is to me. It is my security blanket. When I’m in an uncomfortable situation, a mug of coffee keeps my hands busy so I don’t fidget nervously and give my too prideful self away.

When necessary, holding a coffee mug strategically can hide the always present I'm-a-mommy-stain on my blouses. When I don’t know the answer to one of my kids’ questions, taking a sip of coffee allows me to steal a moment in order to come up with something.

Best of all, coffee simply has a way with bringing busy friends and family together for conversation.

I can’t imagine ever there be a replacement for my beloved coffee.

Tags: career, children, coffee, family, job, kids, motherhood

4 members like this

Comment

You need to be a member of Studio30 Plus to add comments!

Join Studio30 Plus

Comment by Jen Havice on April 25, 2012 at 9:47am: Ive written about my coffee addiction too. I do think it's almost as much about the ritual as it is about the drink. I'm grumpy if I don't get it first thing in the morning.

Comment by Cubicle Views on April 24, 2012 at 10:34am: I adore coffee too (said as I'm just finishing my first cup of the day). And, like Jester Queen I was introduced to this glorious drug of choice by my parents when I was about 9ish. Every once in a while they'd let my sister and I have a cup after dinner. Now a cup back then was probably equivalent to about 4 or so ounces. Today...more like 14+.

Off to pour cup number 2!

Comment by Jester Queen (Jessie Powell) on April 23, 2012 at 9:35pm: It's funny, I drank coffee starting at age 7 with my parents. (What were they THINKING?!) and by the time I was a teen, it ate holes in my stomach any time I tried to drink it. Things aren't so bad now. I can stomach a cup here and there. And I DO love the stuff. But mostly, I make due with coke zero and longing.

Comment by Kimberly Rues on April 23, 2012 at 5:34pm: So true! I started drinking coffee when I was a legal secretary during my college days. There was no vending machine for anything and the coffee pot was always full (and usually fresh) since we all drank copious amounts of java.

Comment by Charlotte Klein on April 23, 2012 at 10:19am: I'm not sure I could ever do without it in my life either. I've had to mostly switch over to decaf, sadly, but I still treat myself on the weekends. Nothing beats a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning.