On that first cup of coffee

When I first started drinking coffee I had no idea what I was doing.  I was living out of my parent's house for the first time, I was in college, so I just kind of figured drinking coffee was something I should start doing.  I had a cute little Mr. Coffee One Cup that I thought I knew how to use, and while I had no idea exactly what kind of coffee I liked, I was ready to start getting caffeinated.  I can even remember my first experience buying creamer.....I bought the powder stuff because I didn't know any better and quickly realized that I needed to head to the refrigerated section for the really good stuff.  My first home brewed cup was.....interesting to say the least.  It was also short lived, because soon after one of my friends introduced me to mocha frappachinos at Starbucks and that was all she wrote. 

Flash forward to present day, and I am most definitely a coffee drinker, and a coffee lover.  Coffee is as much a part of my morning routine as brushing my teeth, and if there's anything to take the edge off of waking up at 5 a.m. it's a nice hot cup of strong coffee.  No matter what day of the week, no matter what time I get up, that very first cup of coffee is something I savor and look forward to.  The second (and sometimes third) are still good, but they aren't nearly as good as the first go round.  Maybe it's a psychological thing, maybe it's a taste bud thing, but hands down, you just can't beat that first cup. 

While I love coffee, I can't drink it all day long.  In fact, my coffee intake is down from it's normal levels.  Only slightly down, but lower nonetheless.  I used to consume a cup of jo before getting on the treadmill every morning, which maybe sounds silly but I thought it was a good way to try and wake up my brain before the sweat started pouring.  Since the first of the year, however, I've cut out that first cup before exercising and instead fill up my travel mug to bring with me to work.  It's like delayed gratification, and there is something to be said for spending that first hour or so at work sipping on my coffee while perusing through emails.  It helps take the edge off.  Helps me ease into the day ahead. 

On a normal day (which is just about every single day), that is all the coffee I will drink.  As much as I love coffee, I find that as the day progresses the appeal of having a cup goes down for me.....it just doesn't sound good.  Maybe a lot of people are like this, but judging from the large number of cars I always see at Starbucks there's also quite a few out there who are not.  I don't think one is necessarily better than the other.....just a personal observation. 

Coffee has become part of my morning ritual, and one that I look forward to in order to get the day started right.  The smell, the taste, the warmth when it hits your stomach and immediately procures that "ahhh" sensation.  Coffee brings a bit of solace to my world, however short lived and fleeting it might be.  And in this increasingly imperfect world, that's truly something to be thankful for.