Thoughts on coffee

I am not a morning person; never have been, never will be. My mom will tell you about the shouting matches that occurred in the mornings during my elementary school days. In middle and high school it got a little better since I started to care about how I looked, but I'm still on Team Snooze.

My mom used to tell me that I'd become a morning person once I got my first job out of college. She also told me that I'd get used to rising early and start drinking coffee regularly. At that point, I was only drinking coffee on occasion and for pleasure, not out of necessity.

Fast forward to my second job out of college, my first "big girl" (i.e. full time) job. I was stationed at a reception desk with the company's payroll department behind me. The office coffee pot was situated on a little counter top to my left. The way the was the room was set up, everyone in the office had to pass by me (and the boss's office window) to grab a cup. The boss had strict rules about only making two pots per day, and people had to supply their own creamer. The first pot was always drained as soon as it was finished, and some scavengers would come for the their second cup before the second pot was finished brewing.

Now, I get it that in a company that offers few perks, you want to get your money's worth in free coffee, but crappy Folgers drowned in french vanilla? I didn't get the appeal. This desperate need for sup-par caffeine confused and worried me. After witnessing this Lord of the Flies for coffee, I decided that I never want to become chemically dependent on caffeine, no matter how perky it would make my mornings.