Coffee
About a year and a half ago, I quit drinking coffee.
It was good for me, I was drinking way too much, it was way too strong, and I was zapped on caffeine all day long and then needed four drinks to fall asleep.
I still occasionally have a cup. I had one Christmas night after a massive dinner and many drinks and it was grand. It kept me from falling asleep at my friend's house.
Yesterday I took the wife's car to the tire dealer to have the tires balanced and rotated. I had my choice of spending an hour standing in their small customer area examining the various tires and wheels they had on display and perhaps having a cup of crappy coffee from their vending machine or walking a block to Starbucks. That was a no brainer, and I spent an hour drinking a venti (bigger than a pint, smaller than a quart) of their plain coffee. Quite a bargain for $2.25, considering it included a comfy chair in a sunny room with a big window where I could watch cars drive by on a busy road for an hour.
As of late, I have had a problem. I can't seem to think of anything. I have nothing to say in conversation, I can't think of much to write, I couldn't think of anything to give my wife or daughter for Christmas, I haven't written anything for a long time. Meditation has calmed my mind and I have become a serene blank. I used to talk incessantly and had millions of ideas zapping through my head. I was like an ADD kid who just ate a bag of candy and washed it down with a liter of Coke. Now I am placid and happy.
The coffee stimulated the story teller. A story I had a rough outline of that languished for a year and a half was mostly written in my head in the hour I sat there at Starbucks. I need to get going on writing it now because the hard part is done.
My brain was buzzing with ideas all night long. I needed to have three drinks to feel sleepy at 2 am.
So I face a dilemma. I am so glad I quit coffee. It stains my teeth, it is bad for my health, it makes me manic, it requires that I drink at night to fall asleep, but it also seems to drive my creativity.
How do I keep the creativity and not revert to coffee addiction? Why does my mind need caffeine to think of anything new?
mk
It was good for me, I was drinking way too much, it was way too strong, and I was zapped on caffeine all day long and then needed four drinks to fall asleep.
I still occasionally have a cup. I had one Christmas night after a massive dinner and many drinks and it was grand. It kept me from falling asleep at my friend's house.
Yesterday I took the wife's car to the tire dealer to have the tires balanced and rotated. I had my choice of spending an hour standing in their small customer area examining the various tires and wheels they had on display and perhaps having a cup of crappy coffee from their vending machine or walking a block to Starbucks. That was a no brainer, and I spent an hour drinking a venti (bigger than a pint, smaller than a quart) of their plain coffee. Quite a bargain for $2.25, considering it included a comfy chair in a sunny room with a big window where I could watch cars drive by on a busy road for an hour.
As of late, I have had a problem. I can't seem to think of anything. I have nothing to say in conversation, I can't think of much to write, I couldn't think of anything to give my wife or daughter for Christmas, I haven't written anything for a long time. Meditation has calmed my mind and I have become a serene blank. I used to talk incessantly and had millions of ideas zapping through my head. I was like an ADD kid who just ate a bag of candy and washed it down with a liter of Coke. Now I am placid and happy.
The coffee stimulated the story teller. A story I had a rough outline of that languished for a year and a half was mostly written in my head in the hour I sat there at Starbucks. I need to get going on writing it now because the hard part is done.
My brain was buzzing with ideas all night long. I needed to have three drinks to feel sleepy at 2 am.
So I face a dilemma. I am so glad I quit coffee. It stains my teeth, it is bad for my health, it makes me manic, it requires that I drink at night to fall asleep, but it also seems to drive my creativity.
How do I keep the creativity and not revert to coffee addiction? Why does my mind need caffeine to think of anything new?
mk