Today is day 16 of 40 Days of Water. I haven't had coffee in 17 days. Two and a half weeks.
But it's cool. I don't miss it. Seriously.
I've learned a lot, even in just one third of the whole experience:
One:
Coffee is optional.
Yes, you read that right. We're dependent upon it because we've caused ourselves to be. We believe (with some help from advertisers and the Starbucks generation) we can't focus without it, can't function without it, and (most of all) can't be pleasant without it.
And nobody wants a cranky us. Though it's not us, it's the deficiency speaking.
So we drink it. And then we DO need it because chemicals are funny like that.
Two: Non-Caffeinated Carolyn = Happy Carolyn.
It's strangely freeing to look the coffee bar in the face and say, "Psh. I don't need you." Even better, there are no jitters, no caffeine sweats, and no crash when the drug wears off.
Three: Coffee habits are expensive.
Okay, so most of the time my lattes are free, courtesy of Willie T's. But then there's that day off, when I just might wander down to Mod. Or that night we go to the bar, and I buy a round 'cause other people bought a round, which included me. Or when I'm stressed and drop by McDonald's for a sweet tea and fries. Or I'm lazy and drop by McDonald's for coffee because I don't feel like making my own at the office.
It should be noted that this is not money that I should be spending on unnecessary drinks. But I do. Frequently. Which results in a $43.29 total on my 40 Days tracking page just two weeks in.
Four: Everything I do or buy has an impact.
Last weekend I went through my closet, purging good intentions and poor decisions alike. The result was a basket of clothes that I'll be taking to Goodwill very soon.
As I pulled each piece, I wondered what would have happened if I just hadn't bought it in the first place. Would I have had $10 more? Would I have given a little more to the offering plate, or not felt so guilty as I passed it along because I knew I spent all my money on me? Would I have kept that charge off my credit card, where it accumulates interest and costs me far more? Would I have used that money to buy lunch for a friend, or to buy a little gift for my World Vision child?
By sacrificing some of the luxuries that I've grown accustomed to, I can do so much better for myself AND for the world.
What about you? Did you give up anything for Lent, or for life? What have you learned?
Hmm. I'm not doing the 40 days of...well...anything. But still, your comment that everything we buy counts is something I've thought about too. Those little impulse buys at Meijer do add to the bill, and I would do well to exercise a little more discipline, especially in the candy aisle (shouldn't I be over that by this age?).
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