Coffee and Donuts

               My first job was in a national chain coffee & donut shop.  It was a fun and fragrant job, featuring interactions with many people from all walks of life, and the enticing smell of brewing coffee and baking donuts.  It was a place where people, for the most part, were happy.  After all, even if you’re having a less than good day, a steaming cup of coffee and sweet treat can be a cheering respite from grueling work and worry.  It’s also a hopeful way to start the day, get employees to attend a meeting, catch up with a friend, or feel cozy when away from home.

               I think most everyone has a favorite flavor donut.  I like a nice, fresh, powdered sugar donut, although jelly donuts are also nice.  Of course, there is something to be said for cream filled or chocolate donuts, and plain ones can’t be beat for dunking in a fresh cup of coffee or glass of ice cold milk.  Donut holes are also a tasty little bite, just right when time is short and you just need something quick and sweet to pop into your mouth on the run.  I recently realized that if you’re going to be popping donuts while driving it’s best to have the donut holes, as bigger donuts tend to fall apart which is awkward while driving and likely to make a mess in your car and possibly on the front of your shirt, depending on what type of donut you’re eating.  Jelly donuts are nearly impossible to consume neatly in this circumstance, as the filling is likely to drip where you don’t want it and make a sticky mess and also leave a stain.  Cake type donuts are less messy, but the sugar or cinnamon coating tends to end up sprinkled all over everything in the area.  There are donuts available in nearly every store, and many farmers markets and orchards sell homemade cider donuts which are a really special treat.  One would think that since I worked in a donut shop and went home every day smelling of donuts and coffee that I would be sick of both.  I am far from sick of either one—I love coffee and I love donuts!  I usually have a box of those yummy circles in my house, and of course there is always coffee.  Naturally, too many donuts will result in the need for larger pants, but with the proper restraint one can indulge frequently without negative effects; too much coffee (I know, some people will not understand how there could ever be too much coffee, ha-ha!) can result in jitteriness, or at the very least lots of chatter (this is how I am affected by too much coffee, just ask my husband or daughter).  Some people get a little loose with alcohol consumption, but I am much more fun with caffeine and sugar coursing through my veins.  It becomes nearly impossible to control my tongue when I’m indulging that way, usually to the delight and entertainment of those in my company and sometimes to my chagrin.  It doesn’t stop me from occasionally over indulging.

               Over all, I recommend treating yourself to donuts and coffee, or tea if you’re not such a coffee drinker.  Some days we all need a little something to perk us up, something that feels friendly and comforting, and adds a little sweetness to life.