Coffee = Motivation

I remember the first time I had good coffee. It was over 20 years ago and mom took the whole family to one of those gourmet grocery stores. They had a coffee bar/station where you could grind any flavor of coffee beans and then add any combination of ingredients. Michanne made me a cup and I remember the light caramel color and the dreamy, velvet taste. It was mostly heavy cream, sugar, and honey with a splash of coffee. I never have been able to make my coffee taste the same way again. I never drank coffee while earning my undergrad but I did drink coffee every day when I worked at Geico.

I abstained for many years after those horrible 16 months. Many of you are aware that I've had bladder and ulcer issues over the years (sorry for the clinical content but like I said, most of you already know) and coffee isn't the best thing for those kind of problems. I generally stay clear of caffeine. I did get on a daily latte kick over a year ago at work but it led to bladder problems again so I stopped cold turkey. Now I drink coffee every Saturday and Sunday. Honestly, I have no idea how I would complete any of my school work without coffee. Does it hurt my stomach? Yes. Does it cause acid reflux that feels like I have a huge lump in my throat and like I'm about to throw up? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes. Oddly enough I don't have any bladder problems and I do not drink caffeine at any other time except one 8oz cup of coffee on Saturday and Sunday. I'm partial to Green Mountain Hazelnut which I buy in K-cups so I can enjoy my still very cool Keurig. It's amazing how one cup of coffee will provide hours and hours of motivation. I add fat free original flavor Coffee-Mate and about 4 teaspoons of sugar so that might contribute to my energy levels as well. I don't need it to get ready for work in the morning and I don't want it in the afternoon but coffee will be my study-buddy until I finish school. I can give it up anytime I want, really I can, I just don't want to, yet.