It's OK to Pour the Coffee Out

Something struck me about a week ago.

After finally experiencing the last of my vaccine symptoms, I had decided to make myself a cup of coffee for the first time in a few days. All was going well, and I was excited to finally get to experience a familiar taste that I had abstained from while I recovered.

My dilemma started shortly after I added everything in, as I always do, and took my first sip.

Unfortunately, it tasted disgusting.

I don't know what happened. Maybe I put too much creamer in it. Maybe the water-to-coffee ratio was off. In any case, I could barely get through five sips of it. The stuff was actually making my stomach turn.

Now, I'm typically the type of person to push through something like this. My philosophy is, "I already made it. I can't just waste it now. I'll just power through it, no matter how bad it tastes."

However, recent experiences have taught me that this "stiff upper lip" approach isn't always super helpful. And sometimes, it's okay to pour the coffee down the drain.

So, that's exactly what I did. I poured out the coffee and made myself some tea instead. Thankfully, it was delicious.

It's hard for me to give up sometimes, especially when it comes to something that I usually love. If I'm reading a book that I don't like, I'll feel guilty if I put it down. A lackluster album is still getting played all the way through. I feel like a quitter when I just abandon things.

But what if it's okay to do that sometimes? What if I'm not betraying myself every time I change my mind?

Sometimes the coffee is just plain bad. And when that happens, it's okay to pour it out. The coffee won't be offended by you getting rid of it... but your taste buds will be offended by you torturing them.

So yes, this is another post-vaccine lesson that I've learned. I'm posting it so that maybe you can learn from this experience, too.

Keep breathing, friends.

-D.

Follow me on Instagram @denaeculp.writer and Twitter @denaeculpwriter for more poetry, quotes, and pseudo-inspiring randomness

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