The Ritual of Drink

After a cold snap over the weekend that brought frost and flurries to Kentucky, spring, the fickle bitch, has decided to once again grace us with her presence. Yesterday, Michael had an early morning appointment to check into finishing up his degree, and I went with him. There is simply nothing like spring on a college campus, and our alma mater is especially beautiful. It was nice to be doing something outside our normal morning routine. In the struggle to get ready and get to work on time everyday, much of the beginning of the day around me gets lost in routine. But yesterday was a wonderful morning and we got lucky by being in a position to appreciate it.
We stepped into the student center, and instantly the smell of coffee hit me. I have returned to drinking coffee now, but only decaf, which really, that's hardly coffee at all. We had to get to the appointment and so couldn't linger, but I would have given anything to buy a cafe mocha, a real cafe mocha, and sit outside at a table and just enjoy the morning. Alas, it was not to be. We finished Michael's appointment and he dropped me off at work. I sat down at my desk and took the lid off my travel mug of decaf. How disappointing. It wasn't just the absence of caffeine. No, it was more than that. I have to admit that there is just something about purchasing a cup of coffee and having it presented to me, all steamy and yummy smelling and topped with whipped cream, in a paper cup. Most things I think are better done at home-- pizza, grilled hamburgers, cookies-- but I am a sucker for coffee in a paper cup with a plastic lid on top. This is not something I'm proud of, but there it is. If I could drive, I'm sure I would go through the Starbucks drive-thru every morning. As it is, I fix coffee at home and we carry our travel mugs to work with us. I don't know what makes coffee different, but I just really prefer it when somebody else makes it for me. I think it's the experience of smelling the coffee shop, or maybe it's a sense of camaraderie with the other caffeine junkies in line.
Asian cultures have long ritualized the art of the beverage, and I can totally understand why. Taking the time to drink something frivolous is one of life's great pleasures. Naturally, in the U.S., we turned that simple ritual into a corporate giant complete with merchandising, accessories, and a drive-thru lane. We are what we are, I suppose.
One of these mornings, I am going to take the time to enjoy a calorie-loaded cup of coffee that somebody else made for me on a sunny spring morning. See, I don't ask for much. It's the simple things.