Coffee

While most people try to give up coffee in the new year, my resolution was to start drinking coffee.  Yes, you heard me, start.  You may ask, why would a health nut like me want to develop a coffee habit?  Well, if you read in my New Year's posting, my intention for this year is to try new things and break out of my routine.  I avoid coffee because the caffeine keeps me up at night, but I admit that I love the taste of it.  One day my friend said to me, "Um, why don't you just drink decaf?" For some reason the idea of ordering a decaf coffee had never occurred to me.  "Brilliant," I thought, "this is my resolution for 2012: become a coffee drinker!"  It has been a challenge to break my habit of not drinking coffee, but finally today my resolution came to fruition.  Instead of compulsively jumping into my regular Sunday morning ritual of biking to the grocery store, I asked myself, "What do I want to do this morning?" The answer was clear: I wanted to sit around and drink coffee.  My roommate and I went to Four Barrel, the ultra hipster coffee shop in the Mission.  I had been there a million times with friends, watching them drink coffee while I sipped a glass of water.  Finally, it was my turn to order.  I asked the girl with the asymmetrical haircut for, "a decaf soy latte, please."  In a few minutes, my order was up, a hot cup of Joe adorned with a swirly heart of soy-milk foam!  I took one sip and I was in heaven.  The flavor of the dark roasted coffee with the creamy soy milk was mouth watering.  As we sat outside, leisurely enjoying our lattes, I thought how healthy this was.  Now, coffee is arguably not a healthy substance, but the act of drinking coffee is mentally healthy for me. I define "healthy" as having a variety of choices in how I think and act, as opposed to unconsciously getting stuck in the same old patterns.  Just like my hip hop dance teacher said yesterday, "This booty-shake is another move you can add to your repertoire at da' club, " I can bust out coffee-time whenever I want.