Pour Me Another Cup!

Writing and coffee go hand in hand to me. Am I alone?  Apparently not, I found out quickly in doing some research.  As Samuel Carlton in Why Coffee Remains the Lifeblood of Writers Everywhere points out (Medium. Com, Sept. 26, 2018) “It’s not just the caffeine it’s the extended stimulation.”  He goes on in his article to give various reasons why coffee seems a hallmark to writers’ toolbox. To quote T.S. Elliot, playwright, essayist “I have measured out my life in coffee spoons.”  Famous writers throughout the ages are known for frequenting coffee shops and then writing with a pen in hand and a coffee cup close by the other one.

I was curious, with all the writers in America, how much coffee is consumed?  400 Million Cups a day which ranks America as the leading consumer of coffee in the world. (e-importz.com/coffee-statistics, 2019) There are greater than 150 Million daily drinkers according to Importz.com.  We are a nation of coffee drinkers for sure!

Now it starts to make sense, you might be thinking, why there are so many coffee chains all over the place.  64% of Americans drink the stuff!  But you might be surprised to learn that 79% still brew at home. (Foodandwine.com, March 19, 2018, Elizabeth Sherman) However, with such a large number of drinkers, coffee shops still have a large market share.

I would surmise that many writers are working from home and brewing their own as I am. That said, I need to refresh my cup!

Young Protestor - Stay Engaged!

I turned on the tube and saw children of all ages marching for Climate Change.  I hope the spirit of getting involved in government and policies covers over to all areas and not just to this one issue.  I believe climate change is supremely important but I also feel the underlying fact remains young people need to be engaged in issues that affect their future and our government.

As a nation, we did not encourage participation in policy making with young people enough in the past. Look at this situation of no term limits. We have congressional candidates literally sitting on their hands in seats doing nothing for the American people but taking up space getting reelected on name recognition.   Young people must become aware of this and demand change. The movers and shakers are the ones that need to be in government, no matter the age.  Non-participators need to be pushed out. Inactivity in government should not be a choice. In business, stagnancy is going backwards. In a highly competitive international world complacent representatives hurt us all from growth opportunities.

May the protestors of today use their enthusiasm for climate to spearhead participation in all areas of government. Our nation was founded on the backs of relatively young men and women and it just may be their backs again that can unify it.