The wrong coffee creamer offers me three lessons for 2025
Then, after a routine physical checkup, I got my cholesterol numbers back and realized I had to cut back on full-fat eating pleasures, including the 10% cream in my daily coffee. Every little bit helps. Val had already cut back on the full-force caffeine of home-ground beans, exchanging them for a half-and-half mix of instant coffee and a coffee substitute. So I, too, gave up the ground-bean bespoke daily drink with cream for an instant version with a French vanilla flavoured oat-milk creamer. Not so bad. More a coffee beverage than a cup of purist coffee, but satisfactory nonetheless — a whole lot less faff and zero fat.
In the days before Covid, my mother would visit her local Starbucks to enjoy a caramel macchiacto and, because the Starbucks menu confounds me, I would simply order the same thing whenever I was visiting her and we were out for coffee together. So, when I saw that my new oat-milk creamer came in that flavour at my local grocery, I reached for it, and I liked how my coffee tasted — that it reminded me of Mum was a bonus. Now I had two flavours I could alternate between for variety.
But it went horribly wrong the day I didn’t take the time to properly read the label on the store shelf and I ended up bringing home a large-size container of what turned out to be “burnt caramel” flavoured creamer. My first cup tasted different — kind of like the coffee was burnt, but I dismissed it as my own tastebuds gone sideways. However, when my second cup continued to taste distinctly off and definitely like burnt coffee, I couldn’t deny the problem. So I pulled the container out of the fridge and actually read the label — not just glanced at it to recognize the word “caramel”, but focused to see the word on its own and to realize that it was not paired with “macchiato” but rather with burnt as in “burnt caramel”. Ah. Well, that explains it, I thought. I am tasting what is planned for me to taste and, I said to myself, I don’t like it. For several days, I stuck it out with that odd-flavoured creamer, but then I had had enough of it and bought the right creamer and, with apologies for the food waste, poured what remained of the horrid burnt caramel creamer down the drain.
Which brings me to the three lessons I am taking with me into 2025:
- Slow down, be intentional in my decisions
- Focus on what is actually in front of me rather than presuming it is what I expect it to be or hoping it might be want I am wanting
- Appreciate that something new is different than the old and can be just as satisfying, albeit in entirely different ways
In the New Year, if I can be who I am with intention, if I can slow down and focus on what is actually in front me, and if I can appreciate every new thing for what it offers, then 2025 stands a good chance of being a good year. We shall see…
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NOTE 1: I looked back at my intentions for 2024 and saw that it was to focus. Ah. Well. Clearly some lessons must be learned more than once. Let's see how I do this year.
NOTE 2: I learned last week that my essay about selling the cottage, published in The Globe and Mail in late August, made it onto the paper's "Top Five Read First Person Essays" of the year list. It was republished online last Friday. This was very happy writing news for me with which to close out the year.
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Land acknowledgement: I respectfully recognize that I live on the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
2024, what a year, yes?
ReplyDeleteBest happening for me was the birth of Samuel Mason Surovell in February. Nothing tops another great grandchild
Worst thing? Elon Musk My country was sold for a handful of $$$$$$$, maybe more like a boatload?
2025 will be interesting to watch.
Happy New Year my friend.
"Interesting" is such a good word -- it can mean so many different things! Above all, for 2025, I wish a slower pace, a deeper appreciation for the simple things, and continued friendship with smart humans like you, Ann. Love to you.
DeleteFirst, congratulations for the success of your essai, it was well deserved.
ReplyDeleteThen, I don’t want to miss the opportunity to wish you a Very Good New Year with health, focus, appreciation and the joy of good writing.
Danielle
Danielle - many thanks for being a reader of my words, and for your good wishes. I return them to you for the coming year; may 2025 be good and peaceful and satisfying in every way. Love to you.
DeleteCongratulations on your top 5 in the Globe, great accomplishment and well deserved. Thank you for another year of thoughtful reflections and writing, much appreciated. Much joy and peace, and focus in the coming year. Karen
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen. I wish the same for you. Thanks for reading my words.
DeleteThese three resolutions are profoundly basic and have, apparently, warranted that volumes be written about them, suggesting that keeping them is no small task. Indeed, these may well be the most ambitious you have made, ever. Thank you for extracting these from your experience, in a way that we can relate and maybe take up the challenge with you.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting observation you make, Anon. Thank you. I hadn't wanted to make specific or detailed resolutations, but it seems that in aiming for broader 'approaches' I might have set the bar unintentionally high. I'm curious now to see how the year unfolds and how I unfold with it...
DeleteYour choice of topic today is perfect for me. Because I choose to practice intermittent fasting, it suddenly dawned on me that, having my luscious cream in my morning coffee, was breaking my fast. Two days ago, I decided to attempt black coffee. I’ve tried it several times before For me, it takes the joy out of my ritual of reading my iPad sipping my smooth brew in the quiet of the morning. I googled ‘How Can I adjust to drinking black coffee?’ There were several suggestions, one of which was add cinnamon or vanilla. Always having been the person who thinks if one thing is good two things must be better, I made the concoction with both flavours yesterday morning To my surprise, it was quite delicious Not as satisfying as my creamy delight but certainly not as ghastly as I had anticipated Most people say, once you get used to it, you will not want to go back We shall see I will keep it up for a week or two, 30 days might be asking too much, In the hope that I will become addicted to it I never want cream again Wish me luck
ReplyDeleteWishing you huge luck with this challenge! Do write to tell me how you do.
DeleteGreat goals for 2025. And congrats on the Globe article and its placement in the top 5 for the year! That's huge.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Celia. I hope that 2025 helps you achieve your own goals -- writing and otherwise!
DeleteCongratulations on The Globe and Mail piece!!! That is one huge feather in your 2024 cap. Yes indeed a great way to close out the year.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Amanda! Wonderful news about the Globe and Mail piece - big congratulations on that!
ReplyDeleteOnward and upward into 2025! Most of us have difficulty with FOCUS - but if we focus on focusing we can start to get better . .. sort of . . maybe . . ..
Wow, I'm so happy for you that your essay made it onto the paper's "Top Five Read First Person Essays" of the year list, so exciting. I wish for you achievements beyond expectation and a joyous year ahead.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, Congrats on your publication! It is always exciting to see ones writing in print. As for resolutions, I personally do not need a new year to make those. It seems I try daily to fulfill something of value whether successful or not. Have a great January!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete