Wednesday, January 29, 2025
ESSAY - COFFEE HERE, COFFEE THERE, COFFEE EVERYWHERE
Coffee's a big deal to me, as you might have guessed if you read what I write... non-poetry, that is.
I'm not a connoisseur of coffee. (Confession, I had to look up how to spell that.)I've gratefully quaffed (a favorite word of mine) many a cup of "what the hell is that?"
In fact, in the army, we used to get packets of "sort of" instant coffee (see picture). I would hoard them, and, on freezing cold (or burning hot) mornings, when starting the day exhausted, and no other source of coffee, I would pour the packet into my metal canteen cup, add just enough water to make a sludge, or coffee slurry, then add enough water from my canteen, swirling it to stir it, to have some cold, brown caffeinated water to drink.
Desperate stuff...
As Staff Duty NCO, at 2 AM, I have passed wearily through army mess halls, grabbing a cup of whatever was still kind of warm, willing to drink it "as is", rather than wait for sleepy cooks to brew a new pot. (A drink which tastes suspiciously like what they charge big bucks for at Starbucks.)
On other, more civilized mornings, I've dragged myself out of bed at 3 AM for duties and obligations, done my morning exercises (which I have done somewhat religiously for the last 50 years), and rewarded myself with a better brew... instant, perked, now Keurig, but, whatever was available.
Visiting non coffee drinkers (or like my sister, decaf drinkers), I have run to the nearest store to buy my own bottle of coffee, and sometimes wine (another confession).
Coffee to me IS more than just a hot drink. It's memories of overcoming obstacles. Yes, a magic potion of beans and water, turning nightmares into fairy tales.
SPONSORED BY REVITOL SKINCARE PRODUCTS
Labels: army, coffee, donovan baldwin, essay, humor, writing
# posted by Donovan Baldwin @ 4:21 PM 
