I Fell Off the Wagon

I have a confession to make - I fell off the wagon this week. It’s frustrating because I’ve been good for over a year now, and I simply shouldn’t be backsliding. The trigger was my business trip to Irvine, California, this week. I was away from home, so I wasn’t in my normal routine, and it was very accessible; I found 2 dealers just in the 3 miles between the hotel and the office.

Damn Starbucks.

Back during my consulting days, I was addicted to coffee, Starbucks in particular. When you’re working long hours, tired from not sleeping well in a hotel and on an expense account in a city like Boston with a Starbucks on every corner, it was very easy to wind up at one 3 or 4 times a day. Typically I would order an Americano, although I would occasionally throw in a nice vanilla latte from time to time. Regardless of the how I took it, I was consuming just too much caffeine.

Then, about 18 months ago, I realized that there was a Teavana at the Prudential Center, just a few quick steps from the Sheraton Boston where I stayed every week. So, I started drinking tea every morning and evening and cut out my Starbucks habit completely. There continues to be more and more research done on the health benefits of tea. It’s a natural appetite suppressant, so it’s great for dieting, it’s high in antioxidants, and it’s also a known cancer fighter. Now, instead of drinking coffee throughout the day, I drink a couple of pots (3-4 cups each) of my “during the day” tea, MateVana mixed with Almond Biscotti. It has a great nutty flavor, not unlike coffee, and because of the nature the caffeine in the tea, it provides the right amount of energy without the shakes I used to get with coffee. At night I’ll have a large cup of naturally caffeine-free Rooibos tea, either Peach Bloom or Blueberry Bliss. For my 30th my wife bought me a cast-iron tea pot and warmer that, with a tea light, keeps each pot hot for several hours.

Meanwhile, back in Irvine, although I had brought my tea with me, I didn’t have the “conveniences” I have in Atlanta, like my honey, soy milk, etc., so I fell back to Starbucks. Within the space of four days, I consumed a few lattes, a couple of macchiatos and even another Americano when I got back to Atlanta this morning. Shame on me.

Excuse me while I go brew a cup of Blueberry Bliss and climb back on my wagon.