luxury or necessity?

I start my day with a cup of coffee. And I have been known as a coffee snob, here & again. But for me it’s not just the jolt I look forward to, it’s about the ritual, the anticipation. From the first few beans hitting the grinder to wrapping my hands around my favorite mug, warmed almost too hot to be comforting (it is though). And that is just my stay at home coffee.

My absolute favorite way to enjoy a cup of joe is surrounded by lively conversation. And I am lucky enough to be able to do just that about three, sometimes four mornings a week. I get ribbed by the walkers, joggers & commuters idling in their cars, who spy me behind the wall of windows in my local coffee shop. But mixing in with the coffee crowd has become part of my ritual. I always learn something new & laugh, a lot. In short, it fills me up & wakes me up much like my favorite drink.

After braving the ice this morning & arriving to many smiles, I grabbed a cup o’ cuppa & dove right in. A conversation about Obama’s state of the union address got going & we were soon off to the races; talking about the problems with the food supply chain, local grassroots movements & the dreaded reliance America has on oil. One comment has stuck with me all day; just “turning off the tap”. Wow, wouldn’t that be great?

As the discussion rambled on & each new facet of the issue came to light, it is hard to agree on where or how to start. Especially when our nation’s unemployment rates are so high & social programs are being cut left, right & center. My one friend gave me a look with raised eyebrow & reminded me of these and other issues which make my organic loving, green- blogging, recycling, garden growing, haughty-taughty self seem really out of touch. And I do love that she gives me a swift kick in the pants now & again, but I am still left wondering when we, as a nation, will start making better decisions for ourselves & the land that nourishes us.

I would like to say I am coming up with a plan now as I sit under a pendant light fixture with a corkscrew light bulb in the Haddonfield library reading Organic Gardening. I did, however, come across an article in the back of this beauty of a magazine about ways to avoid petroleum based products in the garden. It’s a start, right?