Re: Loving It

Let’s talk about caffeine & alcohol.

I love them both.

The best part of my morning is that first sip of coffee. It tastes great and smells incredible. Coffee makes every boring job more fun and every fun job way too exciting. I get my biggest ideas on my early morning caffeine high. I feel very grown up and sophisticated typing away at my computer with a hot mug next to me. And I swear, the highlights of many of my vacations have involved coffee. Drinking it on the beach. On a patio. In a cute, new-to-me café. Whatever.

And the best part of many an evening is a glass of red wine. Or a microbrew. Or even some bourbon or tequila, neat. I have a drink (almost always just one) just about every week night, and a Saturday dinner out isn’t the same without a fancy cocktail (almost always not just one). I like picking out something interesting. I like how it tastes. I like how I feel.

BUT, my dear friends, I think I’m getting to the point in my adult life when too much of either is just not worth it anymore. My definition of “too much” is changing as well. I cut way back on caffeine and alcohol when I first broke my ankle because they’re both supposed to hinder the healing process. And after the initial pain and bummed-outness wore off, I felt really great. Calm and happy. Healthy. No stomachaches or headaches or energy crashes or any of the minor physical annoyances I previously considered an inevitable part of life. (I was also eating really well and sleeping a bunch, so there were multiple factors at play.)

And now I’m back to my old devices. I’m paying closer attention because of my February resolution, and I’ve noticed that since I started up again with my regular coffee and wine schedule (which I didn’t think would be a big deal since I don’t drink either in excess), I’ve felt decidedly worse. Less calm and happy. Less healthy. More stomaches and headaches and all of that. 

So I’m working on ways to cut back. Sigh. Boo to maturity and the ability to anticipate the consequences of my choices.