Coffee

A break from the beauty world. Today we talk coffee.

My first encounter with this ever enticing aromatic drink was since I was a little one sitting at the dining table having breakfast with my parents. I’d take a whiff of that mysterious black liquid and wondered how it tasted. I was told then, that it was a drink for the adults. Of course that didn’t stop me from coaxing my grandmother in letting me have a sip of it while my parents were away. And at five, I decided that I never want it ever again.

Now years has flown by and I’ve long forgotten about my very first encounter. I’m 15 and cramping for exams. Everyone at school seem to have the same middle name and our secret weapon would be to burn the midnight oil. And to do so, coffee is our faithful companion through the night.

At 16, we were prepping for our national exam and that determines pretty much your education path in the next phase of life. I find myself going to the kitchen multiple times making myself cup after cup in order to stay awake. One cup no longer seemed enough. Things got brutal when I started putting 2 packets of coffee into one cup just to intensify the drink.

As projects piled and deadlines often collided. Working through till 3am was no longer a foreign affair. Coffee eventually became part of my daily night time routine. Rather than being a substance I consumed to stay awake. It became more like a friend that accompanied me through the night.

Then there came the phase where we boasted about our membership status at Starbucks. I’d grab a mocha and a seat with my textbooks and notes sprawled out. If only acing our exams were as easy as hitting their VIP status. Our allowances went straight to all the lattes, mochas and Americanos that we happily consumed daily. This beverage slowly became a social drink that we all consumed.

Yippie! I’ve  graduated! I had to bid adieu to all those late nights that I’ve been so accustomed to as the morning rush hour awaits.

Flashbacks of trying to keep awake at night came flooding back as I mindlessly walked to the office pantry to grab a cup to jolt every single fibre of my being. Alas, my teenage night routine has now evolved to that adult drink my parents once told me about. The drink they consumed every morning at our breakfast table then, is now mine as well.  The only difference is that I have it at my office desk and sometimes get a surprise cup from a colleague as I walk in instead of having it brewed at home.

Today, it has its moments. Some days it’s my pick me up in the morning. Some days it soothes my inside, like a friend giving me a hug after attending a crazy meeting that went off in all directions except the right one.  On off days it sits by me at a cafe as I people watch or journal. Some nights, it lulls me to sleep.

Much love to one of my longest relationships thus far.

Tags: Coffee, Lifestyle