For all of my adult life, I have had a take-it-or-leave it attitude toward coffee.  I enjoy it at times, other times find it upsetting to my stomach and/or too acrid for my taste.  And I have gone long stretches without it.

For about 5 years prior to my trip to Ethiopia, I didn’t drink coffee.  And I didn’t mind that – I like tea, and have never had a caffeine addiction.  And I won’t lie – I  felt superior about that.  Not like some kind of achievement, more like -  I dodged that bullet and how great for ME, it’s that SUPER?  tra la la.   Somebody smack me.

That was then.

Single mommyhood has sucker-punched me in many ways, but this one was a surprise.  I still don’t drink much in the caffeine category – maybe one cup of coffee and/or a soda per day.  And, unless I have company, I don’t make coffee at home…

soylatteI have, however, developed a serious weakness for a soy latte with sugar-free vanilla syrup from Peet’s – that stuff is like crack.  It’s my post-rowing treat a few times a week, and since it’s almost $4, I’m trying to keep it from becoming a daily habit.

But damn it’s good.

On Monday, I was working from home, happily going about my business, when I developed a big ol’ headache around 11:00 am.   Since Elsa was off with the nanny for the day, I had taken the time to eat a real breakfast, so I knew it wasn’t a blood sugar thing.  And it actually took me a while to figure out that it was a caffeine thing!

Holy moley – my first caffeine headache.   It wasn’t bad – just annoying.  But I poured myself a diet Dr. Pepper (yum!) and soon the headache was gone, confirming its cause.

Looks like I’ve joined the teeming masses who are behold to the caffeine monkey.  Tra la la.