Saturday, November 8, 2008

Mugs and Flutes of Me

To me, coffee is necessary to teaching. I guess survival is really how my habit began. I taught in a room with no heat, so I could either wear gloves or hold a warm coffee mug as a hand warmer. I sipped and 'Shakespearized' with my sophomores, attempting not to blow crystallized breath over their chilled desks. 

Soon I was addicted. My colleagues and I would gather at the coffee pot for caffeinated encouragement. Now teasing students warn me to "lay off the caffeine, Mrs. E." They tell me I am 'highly caffeinated.' My speech, even without caffeine, is rapid fire. With caffeine, my mouth goes warp speed. I'm energetic on a normal day; manic after my morning cup of coffee. And all of life seems to move less sluggishly along.

I like my coffee, but I live for champagne. While not appropriate at work (I can only dream), it is the drink of celebrating my leisure. I like the way the bubbles tickle my lips, the sweet taste of sheer liquid relaxation. You might associate champagne with the finer things in life: caviar, rich jewels and furs. Not me. Champagne is sitting on the patio, watching the clouds float by. It is enjoying a heart to heart with my husband, daughters, or kid sister. It is celebrating life's finer moments—holidays, weddings, and the christenings of both babies and ships. My daughters and I have been known to kill a bottle before 8:00 a.m. on Christmas morning, mixed with cranberry juice in a drink we like to call Poinsettias. 

I have to admit, I prefer the champagne celebrating to the daily cup of survival. So when I die, chill a couple of cases of Champagne, toast the life of the caffeinated teacher, and launch me into the afterlife in style.

1 comment:

A said...

I treat myself to a cup of coffee every now and then on my way to work. Since I leave so early, there is only one place open in my neighborhood on my early morning walk to the subway... But their coffee is Amazing, if you like to Really feel that caffeine kick! On the days I have that cup of coffee, I start the day off with a bit more energy than my students are used to.

I agree though, a little bubbly or a glass of wine are a preferred drink over the coffee and sometimes desired during a day of teaching! Of course, I would only dream I was sipping down a sweet drink ;)