How Nice It Is To Drink Coffee

Josh and I have very recently resurrected the habit of brewing a pot of coffee in the morning before work. We used to have coffee every morning with breakfast, and then I always took some to work in a little travel cup (the very essence of adulthood and sophistication in my estimation). That all came to a screeching halt when we found out about the existence of Baby Desch, both for the sake of excess caffeine consumption and the sheer fact that it made me want to throw up. But all of that is past now- we make a compromise on the caffeine by using half decaf and half regular, so Baby Desch isn't thrown into an acrobatic frenzy inside the womb, where he/she has less and less space to move.

I think that a brewing pot of coffee is one of the most pleasant things in the world. I owe my love for coffee largely to my friend Richard Feero, who taught me about the joy of coffee during my last year at Covenant. I don't know why this started, but he issued the "coffee challenge" one day when we were sitting in Greyfrier's, a local coffee shop. Maybe it was because I said I didn't like coffee, but I had always wanted to. Greyfrier's was probably not the best place to start drinking coffee, because like Starbucks, I think their coffee is a good bit too strong for the average consumer. I remember my first taste of coffee, which was at least a year before the beginning of the coffee challenge- I couldn't believe that someone would drink that bitter, vile substance willingly. To me it seemed like something Jack Bauer would pour down your throat in the torture chamber. But Feero began to cultivate my love for coffee, little by little. The coffee challenge was simply taking sips one at a time. He took a sip, and I took a sip. At first, it was bad. But in a few months (the coffee challenge moved to the Great Hall, where we did it frequently), coffee began to take on a pleasantness that surprised me. When did I actually start liking coffee? I don't know. But I know that my liking had its roots in the coffee challenge. Thank you, Richard Feero- I owe it all to you. Without you I'd still think that coffee was a clever torture instrument.

Another step along the road to a real, genuine coffee love was the latte/frappucino step. I loved coffee that was decorated in some way. For example, at Covenant we used to pile in someone's car (usually Kelly's, Tricia's, or Sparky's) and go all the way down the mountain into Chattanooga to Starbucks, where I would get either a pumpkin spice latte or a caramel frappucino. I love those memories!! These trips were usually quite spontaneous and always took the place of something more important, i.e. homework. At this time I don't think I would have drunk black coffee and enjoyed it, but I definitely enjoyed the decorated coffee. I still do, but now I've reached the stage where I'm perfectly content with plain old black coffee instead of the fancier drinks.

Now I love to hear that coffee brewing and hear the machine beep when it's done. I love to grab a steaming mug and drink it either with breakfast or at work. It has such a gentle, friendly way of helping you to keep your eyes open just another minute when you're struggling to wake up (this attribute of coffee is especially helpful to Josh, who has serious issues in the morning). Coffee, how I love you! Thank you for standing beside me in the hardest of mornings, with the sweetest of desserts, and the most pleasant of times in a coffee shop.