Coffee Free Me

"Life is short. Stay awake for it." Caribou Coffee
cup

"Stay awake. Stay employed." My favorite coffee mug

"Coffee is the elixir of life." Me

If coffee is key to staying in the game, why am I considering giving it up? According to most of the collective fibromyalgia wisdom, it's evil. Caffeine destroys already fragile sleep cycles which lead to more fatigue and pain.

I've struggled through enough coffee fueled afternoons on the job to know that it's a no win - the more I drink, the more I need to stay awake. My bosses have not generally been the types who allow naps. The walk to the kitchen and the hot brew have often been the only things keeping my head from hitting the desk. When poking my brains out with a pencil is more compelling an option than looking at another spreadsheet, it's the coffee that keeps me sane. And my brains off the floor.

I love coffee in all its forms: the diner coffee that comes in thick ceramic mugs with unlimited refills; the first cup at home on a cold morning that warms my hands and wakes me up; the mocha with whipped cream at the bookstore; and even the tar-like remains in the pot at work at the end of the day. It's all great.

There doesn't seem to be any reason to give it up, does there? Yeah, but here's the thing. The last time I felt really good was after I recovered from a stomach bug that made drinking coffee a not so good thing. It took me a couple of days after I recovered to get back my taste for it. In the meantime, I felt alert and not tired. No really, not tired! It was something of a minor miracle. Then the siren call of the coffee got me and I went back on the stuff. I haven't felt that good since.

I don't know if I can do it. I'm afraid I will turn into a whiny, head-achy, nearly comatose wreck without it but I am going to give it a whirl for two weeks.

I'll post how it goes. If I survive.

In the meantime, have a Caribou turtle mocha for me, OK?