I have been going through morning coffee withdrawals the last three days. On Sunday morning, I performed my once a year ritual of cracking the coffee carafe of our automatic drip coffee maker, the one that you can set it to begin brewing early in the morning so that it can awaken you with the sweet aroma of what my brother keeps calling, “the nectar of the gods” every few mornings on his twitter status. So until I had the time and energy to drive to the local replacement parts store,  on Sunday evening during my trip to the local Asian market, I decided to buy a Korean 3-in-1 instant coffee packet. You know the instant coffee packets that also include the cream and the sugar. I remember these were my drink of choice during my two week trip to Korea a few years ago, and I swear they tasted great at the time. But I have to say that I must have lost all of my taste buds when I was in Korea, maybe due to all of the spicy dishes and kimchee, because these were absolutely undrinkable. Tasted like dirty dish water flavored with cream and sugar. I even tried pouring several packets into only a half cup of hot water and I still ended up spitting it all out.

So on Tuesday afternoon I finally made the trip to purchase a new carafe. With the smell of Java whafting through my house on Wednesay morning, with my shaking withdrawal laden hands, I ended up drinking two huge cups before leaving the house, another when attending the meet and greet at my son’s new school and then one more when I went to my office. I am an addict and it’s been my drug of choice since college. As I sat in my office, now shaking due to a caffeine rush, I turned my chair around to work on my laptop only to see a poem that I had put up beside the bookshelves. I have no idea who wrote it or where it came from but it spoke to me yesterday. Maybe it will speak to you, all of you fellow java addicts:

Addiction is Bad Bad Thing

Caffeine is my shepherd, I shall not doze.

It maketh me to wake in green pastures:

It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses.

It restoreth my buzz:

It leadeth me in the paths of consciousness for its name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of addiction,

I fear no Equal(tm):

For thou art with me, the cream and the sugar they comfort me.

Thou preparest a carafe before me in the presence of The Starbucks:

Thou anointest my day with pep, my mug runneth over.

Surely richness and taste shall follow me all the days of my life

and I will dwell in the House of Java forever.

Yes there are a few words that I would change, including Starbucks (the evil empire with coffee that tastes slightly better than my instant packets) and Equal (which might actually kill you), but the sentiments are there. So hope you are having a great morning/day with your one or two or several cups of your favorite coffee of choice. And please, no interventions for me necessary. I am not in denial and do not try to hide it. Instead, like right now as I try to type with one hand while holding a cup with the other, I fully embrace it.