Holly's long-awaited coffee cup story: I once had a personalized coffee cup. It had been a gift from someone near and dear in the days when my name was not so commonly found on personalized items. Many of my co-workers were not particularly particular about whose coffee cup they used, and I got a leeetle tired of coming to work, only to have to track to the far corners of the department to find my prized coffee cup and then to find it had been borrowed by some dlot who used cream and sugar, as evidenced by the dregs, their not having had the courtesy to wash the cup, much less return it. With each time I had to chase down my cup and then wash and scour it before I could use it, my wrath rose.
Well, after a while, I wised up. I quit washing the cup after I had used it. Since I do not use cream or sugar, the cup was not quite so happy a haven for bacteria. Over time, the coffee and tea stains built up on the inner surface of the cup, forming a fine and unpalatable patina. In due time, no one would even touch that cup, let alone drink from it.
Some will say that it is the little things in life. What joy it was to come to work and find my coffee cup just where I had left it on the shelf in my office. I would take the cup from the shelf and lovingly rinse it with scalding water, pour my coffee or tea, and sit, sip, and savor. With each passing day, the inside of the cup grew darker and more disgusting. No one ever again borrowed my coffee cup. |
