Volunteering and Drinking Coffee

Volunteering

For as long as I can remember I have been a volunteer. My parents used to speak on their children's behalf when a friend needed help. I have vivid memories of picking rocks, mowing lawns and shoveling driveways for those who needed assistance. At a very young age, I saw the importance of community. Now, I seek to serve with my energy, resources, talents and time. This has become increasingly more important to me as I raise a child. I desire to demonstrate a kind of selflessness that will lead Isaiah in developing character traits that create an expection to help others.

Every Wednesday morning Dick's Fresh Market does a service to senior citizens by shopping and delivering groceries. They rely on Dick's employees and volunteers from the community. This morning, I brought Isaiah with me to the grocery store to tackle a few grocery lists in what was his very first community service opportunity.

I go to the grocery store almost daily, so I know how important it is to have one's kitchen stocked with the necessities. I take pride in making sure that I pick the correct items for each customer. Today, I wanted Isaiah to experience the joy of serving and helping others.

I am blessed to serve and I hope that the groceries that I helped purchase today will go into creating a fabulous meal or simply meet the needs of someone else.

Drinking Coffee

I turned 30 years old almost one month ago. I had gone those entire 30 years with no desire to drink coffee. I did "breakdown" and buy a Starbucks Frappuccino my freshman year is college and I have been stuck on the sugary coffee drinks with added accessories like sugar, caramel and whipped cream ever since. Last week, however, I may have acquired a taste for regular coffee and I have mixed feelings about it.

I think drinking coffee will bring new excitement to my life. I envision myself carrying a little paper cup into important meetings. People look so important with that trendy looking cup wrapped in cardboard. They seem to accompany the cup with a modern ethos and copious amounts of wisdom. I'm always so intrigued by what's inside that cup. Is it regular coffee or is something more sophisticated, like a latte? Could it be a dry roast or even a caramel macchiato? Or better yet, did they have to say "extra wet" or "extra hot" when they ordered it and how long did it take them to discover what they like? I love that mystery and now, perhaps, I will be one of those people.

However, there are a few drawbacks to drinking coffee. I'm deathly afraid of the dreaded coffee breath. I'm also not very fond of yellow teeth. Then, of course, there is the addiction to caffeine and enjoying a cup of coffee turns into something much more. It's like a drug. I'm fairly certain that if I do become a coffee drinker, I will be one of those coffee snobs. You know, the kind that are so pretentious and know exactly where the beans were grown and how they were cultivated. That would be me.

So, the jury is still out. I'm comparing the list of positives and negatives and my conclusion will be determined at a later date. I need to try a few more cups. Today I had a caramel latte from Caribou and that has me leaning towards more java in the future.

There isn't much better than the smell of fresh coffee in the morning, though.