Defining the Cup of Coffee

Coffee. What about it makes us feel so complete? The feeling of not being able to start your day without it? It's gone beyond the caffeine addiction. In a city that has kiddy-corner, both equally overpopulated coffee shops, it's hard not to see how much we rely on that grande, non-fat, extra hot latte.

In a world where we've become so focused on the 'Doing' and not so much on the 'Living', a cup of coffee has become so much more than a temporary, caffeinated energy boost. It's become a familiar face; a companion. When you finished that dreadful, eighteen page research paper, it was there. When you went on that first date with that guy you met online, it was there. When you just wanted that warm, cuddle-in-a-cup feeling on a cold, rainy Vancouver afternoon, it was there. Always the same, always reliable, and just the way you like it. 

In focusing so much on our accomplishments and not enjoying the path that got us there, we, as a society, has lost that sense of who we are. But by ordering off that ever-expanding Starbucks menu, we have found a quick, tasty way to define who we are as people. You may be a double shot, extra hot cappucino, but I am a no whip, half sweet, toffee nut latte. By making that small decision every morning, we manage to gain that sense of self that has been lost along the way.

The actual zing of temporary awakeness for most of us has I'm sure worn off over the years of commitment. But the feeling of security and self-awareness is still there. At work, before that big manager's meeting, that cup of coffee is your reassurance that you will get through the day. At that first appointment with a new client, that latte was your conversation starter, filling the awkward silences with casual sips, and diverting unwanted topics of conversation in a more desirable direction. 

Assurance. Individuality. Compatability.

Coffee. It's Confidence in a Cup.