Mrs. White
I quit coffee cold turkey last month after 40 years of daily consumption, and I am surprised at what I’ve discovered.
The first time I tasted coffee was when I was about 13. My mother gave me a half bottle of instant Nescafe to help me stay up all night so I could study. It was a substitute for a private tutor my impoverished family couldn’t afford.
After my family moved to Yellowknife Canada when I was 14, I was assigned a volunteer tutor to help me read and pronounce English two mornings a week. I would watch Mrs. White’s lips intently so I could mimic the sounds of her words, but the thing I remember fondly of this beautiful woman is the delicious smell of her coffee she would drink every morning.
My coffee drinking took full flight when I landed a government summer job in high school, thanks to winning the territorial typing contest. When I went to university and started working full time, I was a certified coffeeholic. But, like an alcoholic who drank to get drunk, I drank coffee for the constant kick I needed throughout the day.
Before the 3-hour open-book exams in law school, I would chew on chocolate-covered coffee beans to avoid the washroom breaks.
When I discovered that the office I was working in Korea for the summer in law school did not have a drip coffee machine, I bought one and installed it for my unit, which they promptly uninstalled when I left.
By the time I went back in 2003, Korea had more Starbucks per capita than any other country in the world. People skipped lunch to fork out $8 US for a latte. My regular morning stop was the one at the corner of where I was staying.
Since I quit coffee, I feel more energetic and alert throughout the day instead of the highs and lows from coffee injection and withdrawal—a real surprise.
Severe migraines are a common withdrawal symptom because caffeine constricts blood vessels. Without coffee, more oxygen flows into the brain. How do I wish I knew of this in my working and schooling life?
I may drink coffee again, but when I do, I will enjoy the flavour and aroma of every drop, not as a drug to help me get through the day. After 40 years, I feel foolish to discover I don’t need coffee for that.
Revised from A boomer in the woods column in Our Lakes
