My newfound discovery: Tea. As far as I can remember, I’ve never had a glass of tea until the past week and a half. I’ve always been more of a cider or cocoa fan when I was wanting to drink something warm. I don’t drink coffee, though I love the smell of it. Coffee reminds me of dating Colin. Coffee ruled his life. He permanently smelled like coffee, and it seemed sometimes like he planned his whole routine around when he’d drink another cup. I found this to be intriguing. It’s just something that I don’t understand. No fluids dominate my existence. I drink water, milk, juice. Less frequently, I drink beer, wine, and liquor. I don’t do the soda thing. I just don’t like bubbles in my mouth. Teachers would call Mom when I was little to ask her why I wasn’t allowed to drink soda. She said, “It’s not me! It’s her!” I was always upset when I’d vote for milk for the class parties and everyone always outvoted me, wanting Coke.

I guess I just lied when I said no fluids dominate my existence. I do shower every day. I wash my hands a lot. I drink water all day every day. I get thirsty when I teach. I get thirsty when I’m sitting around. I get thirsty when I write. I’m always spilling water all over myself. Just like Airplane, I have a drinking problem. I hope my students don’t notice.

We have at least a dozen coffee mugs, but I usually use them for that occasional glass of milk or juice. But last week, in my sickness, Derrick brought home chamomile tea with honey. It helped my achey coughy chest some. So I tried some additional fruity herbal packets. I enjoyed it, and I was surprised that I enjoyed it. I haven’t been able to shake my cough, and I’ve kept on drinking the tea. I even bought a little silver tea pot from Big Lots. It whistles sometimes.

There was a girl in my environmental management class freshman year who would show up to class sweaty and stinking from the bike ride over. Then she would drink her tea out of a glass bottle. Loose tea leaves got stuck in her teeth, and I couldn’t help but stare (and hold my breath) whenever she talked in class. I think I always associated tea with being a hippie. That wasn’t cool to me when I was a freshman. I think I’m a little bit more open minded now, and my locks of love growing hair is looking more Joni Mitchell by the day. Tea does seem pretty hippie on the Celestial Seasonings webpage. I like that dancing man with a beard. That makes me happy.

I think I could get used to the tea drinking life. What about you people? What do you drink?