Am I the only one who has this problem? Spilling my coffee on a regular basis simply adds insult to injury when it comes to my tenuous sense of control over life. I fear I’m not aging gracefully, let alone abundantly!
I used to consider myself a person of style and sophistication. Not that I believed it, but I worked hard pretending I was so. This illusion began at an early age when an old boyfriend told me in a moment of inspiration that I had “class”. At nineteen or twenty I thought it was the absolute best compliment anyone could have given me. Poise, character, respectability. (I read all sorts of things into that one word!) I so wanted to own those characteristics and gazed for years upon those words, not wanting to consider that he was using such beautiful hyperbole to get a little action. I took the compliment and ran! As you can see, in spite of reality, I’m still clinging to the fantasy.
I digress. Spilling coffee has become an affliction! It may have something to do with the fact that I drink coffee, or rather carry coffee around with me, all day, re-heating and sipping, re-heating and sipping. How much I actually d
rink is a mystery, even to me. I dilute it with fat-free half-and-half as the day goes on to kill the bitter taste of old coffee.
Our off-white carpet has a new look…lovely caramel colored spots in random locations, matched by random yet localized areas of caramel colored areas on the walls, particularly going up the stairs to my office. It would totally suit the whimsy of a modern art lover. Frankly, I am mystified as to how I manage to add to our decor without even being aware of doing so.
I picked up a couple of mugs at TJ Maxx the other day. I needed a lift and I’m not only addicted to coffee, I’m also addicted to pretty little mugs, particularly the bone china variety. Prone to chipping and breaking just as I’m getting attached to them, I stock up on the least expensive ones I can find. I have a mood mugs…certain-time-of-day-mugs…mugs that I use only when drinking tea…soup mugs…and I-will-never-use-that-mug mugs.
The two mugs I purchased were wide mouth mugs. Big mistake. They are in the Goodwill box as we speak. My current favorite is a small, delicate bone china cup with a very even, steady pattern of tiny dark pink roses. It’s perfect size for my morning coffee and stays by my side until after lunch. Then it goes in the dishwasher and I move on to my afternoon mug, something solid and substantial, like the royal blue pottery mug I purchased while visiting the famed North Carolina pottery town of Seagrove.
All of the beautiful mugs in the world do not keep the coffee in the cup. They do not prevent me from unconsciously setting them on the edge of a book, subsequently launching them and their contents onto everything in sight, including my new Oprah magazine — which I still will not confess to buying…even to myself.
It seems I am less than aware of what I’m doing lately. I drop my makeup into the toilet almost daily. It irritates me to my toes. I get so tired of scooping make-up out of the cold (I tell myself clean) water and reminding myself that I could have put the lid down or, better yet, paid attention to what I was doing!
Today, as I sat in our living room working on an article, I set my coffee on the table beside me. Of course I was not paying attention. I was thinking about what I was going to say next. So naturally, Murphy’s Law being what it is, I set the cup not quite completely on the edge of the table.
I have not gotten the strength yet to get out the carpet cleaner…I’m tired of wasting all the time and energy it takes to keep up with myself. I did my best to soak it up with a wash cloth from the stack of wash cloths my despairing husband purchased, in bulk at Costco, for just such occasions. The lovely white things are now tan. I told him white was not the best choice. The poor man is ever hopeful of getting me on the straight and narrow.
My deep fear is that I am getting “mad cow disease” to quote my beloved Denny Crane, who sadly will no longer be entering my living room on Monday nights. (Why don’t the networks let us have our good, decent dramas?) My brain is befuddled…just like Denny’s…and I’m denying it about as much as he did. If only there was a pill or a computer program to help me figure out where I’ve gone amuck….
It would be so lovely to keep my coffee in the cup, my makeup in my hand and to age with class!
Excerpt from “Caring for Mom”
SPEAKING OF COFFEE: Do you have a Keurig Coffee Maker? I recently signed up to give one a try. I’m went in as a total skeptic and have come away a raving fan. More on this later, but in the meantime, if you have one here’s a discount coupon you’ll love!
The May K-Cup product of the month is Brew Over Ice!
Use coupon code: AM0013-3574 to save 15% on all Green Mountain Coffee Brew Over Ice K-Cup purchases now through June 10th.
Stay tuned for more “Your Perfect Cup” posts!
lol!!! maybe you can persuade yourself that you looooove those traveling mugs with the lids… great read, dorothy!
Good suggestion Vicki!
I read once, a long time ago, that when we do things such as this, repeatedly dropping and spilling things, that it’s because we aren’t fully invested in the moment, and these acts are to remind us to do just that.
I laughed – more of a pleased giggle – at your comment about class. I was often told while growing up that I carried myself class, even as a young child. I’m often a slob now, not caring if I wear the same thing 2 or even 3 days in a row (I’m home, and thus see little reason for changing every day), but I still want to be known for having class, perhaps because its something not so obvious in our world anymore, especially in this day and age of reality TV shows and just about anything goes.
This blog reminded me of my mom as she drank coffee all day long, too… most people I’ve known don’t. I delighted in your ‘mug’ story and can relate, although not with mugs… my mom was more utilitarian with hers (used the same mug all day long, day in and day out), but her love of coffee (and cigarettes) was anything but utilitarian. I don’t drink it, at all, and have physically recoiled from the taste, but oh how I loved being woken up to the smell of hers brewing in the early early morn.
You are absolutely right Willow, I am anything but “in the moment” these days. Writing takes me into myself and I am often disconnected with things right in front of me. Perhaps I’m experiencing the absent minded professor phenomenon :). I have to make a concerted effort to focus on the now and it does help.
I had not thought about how the concept of “class” might just be a thing of the past. I can’t even think of a young person who exhibits the kind of demeanor that I envisioned as classy at their age. The young seem to admire qualities I don’t even understand. I don’t put any effort into my attire anymore either because I can’t afford to and most days I work at home. I’m about comfort. But when I do go places I am bothered by what appears to be an indifference to appearance. Our generation “invented” jeans but they’ve been taken a bit too far!
Fortunately I quit smoking years ago, but coffee remains with me! 🙂 They certainly have been known to go hand in hand. Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I enjoyed hearing about our similarities! D
I laughed out loud at your story. I guess I do much the same thing but with tea.
Laughing and poking fun at ones self is so important. Most of the time we take ourselves way too seriously. Life is full of surprises, curves and filled with the unexpected that if we don’t laugh a little life can be oh so tough and hard to enjoy.
The covered mug “sounds like a great deal”, but unfortunately for people like me, even though I think the cover is on tight – it isn’t. My mind apparently travels somewhere else during the moment of tightening the thing. Besides going through two keyboards (I mostly drink coffee at my desk) I’ve also managed to spill on my new couch. Happily (for me) it already is tan colored and (drum roll please) made of material that doesn’t stain. Yes! The perfect material for clumsies like myself. Lately I also have taken to tripping over the edge of an area rug, the edge of a table and other assorted things, including my own two feet! Yes, I’ve spoken to my doctor about my problem and have had various tests run but it boils down to one thing – I’m clumsy – didn’t used to be this bad…and the beat goes on and on and on.
Ah! a kindred spirit! So happy you left a comment. I feel less alone now! We’ll just trip our way to old age! LOL