Coffee??

Ok, so let’s get down to the nitty gritty. I’ve always preferred my caffeine in chocolate form but now I’ve made a conscious decision to learn to drink coffee. My word. I’m 44. I’ve never had any desire to drink coffee in my life. But I have a problem. The last few months I’ve been struggling a lot to stay awake while at work… it’s driving me nuts. I wake up in the morning feeling completely exhausted. Sure you could say eat well, exercise, get good sleep – BUT I AM. For the most part I sleep through the night. Usually from 10:30 to 6:30. Pretty darn good. There is no way I should feel as tired when I wake up, as when I went to bed. I go for a physical every year and there are no issues. Truly I’m guessing it’s hormonal. The big “change” has been hovering for at least 3 years and if I could predict anything in life anymore it’s that there is no predictability. I started drinking diet coke a few years ago and if I needed it, that little hit of caffeine would usually do it for me in the afternoon. Not anymore. I need 8oz of the hard stuff. For the love of Pete I’ll be onto espresso before you know it. I’ve always loved the aroma of a freshly brewed pot, but each and every time I try to drink it I’m put off by the horrible bitterness. People have always tried to persuade me to add cream/milk/sugar whatever - Bailey’s. But I was loath to learn to drink it with “stuff”. I didn’t want the extra calories. To date I’ve tried a medium roast, French Vanilla and Cinnamon Pastry. (work has a Keurig, how many flavors are there any way!?!) Yesterday I was convinced to try it with hot chocolate. Well therein lies the rub. That’s the reason I became an old lady 2 years ago – I started drinking hot water to stay warm at work, there is no caffeine (or calories) in hot water. I figured I would try the hot chocolate trick. I hate the Cinnamon Pastry a little less than the French Vanilla, so used that one. At first it was more awful than coffee itself. I couldn’t decide if the hot chocolate helped the coffee, or if the coffee wrecked the hot chocolate completely. I managed to choke it down and thought – whatever. Not worth it. So today I had another Cinnamon Pastry – straight up. Just the way I like my Scotch. I figure if I acquired that taste, I can learn to drink anything. And, tis almost the season – I think I can make an exception to the rule by adding Bailey’s at least once, if not twice (at home, not at work). I have to at least give it a chance. I guess I’ll truly be a convert when I start having Tim hit the “brew” button before he leaves for work in the morning. That’s the funny part. On our very first date, over the course of the evening he asked me some very important questions: Do you drink alcohol to excess? Do you smoke? Do you do drugs? Do you exercise? (that’s another post, I did at the time, then stopped for years LOL) Do you eat fish? Do you drink coffee? Quite the interview. Who knew that’s just what he was looking for in a potential mate. So 23 years later I’m going to throw a wrench in. Coffee – hope it’s not a deal breaker.