Monthly Archives: November 2020

To Coffee, my dearly beloved

Posted in Self Reflection by

I don’t remember a time when drinking coffee was not part of my daily life. My grandmother got me into the habit when I was three. Lots of creamer. Picture warm milk with a few drops of coffee for color. I was persistent and my grandparents were indulgent to their—at the time – only grandchild.

My father introduced me to Starbucks when I was 12. He only let me order coffee-free Frappuccinos, but that was all I needed to make Starbucks my place. I even worked there for a year and a half. I absorbed all kinds of obscure facts Starbucks coffee and coffee in general. For example, coffee beans are the pit of a specific cherry. I loved working there. I might still work there if they paid a living wage, but that’s a different post for a different day.

As time in my home alone draws on, I started searching for physical things to do to ground myself in the present. Enter my beloved coffee to provide support, per usual. I turned making coffee every day into a routine.


First, I pick out a coffee mug. I have an extensive collection now. The result of years of both a lifelong love of coffee and a hellish commute where my only solace was coffee in a beautiful mug. I have small and large ones. Cute and snarky ones. I vary them depending on my attitude. The one that gets the most use is a huge mug that says, “I’m silently judging you.” It was a gift from my baby sister.


Next, I pick out a coffee blend. This is where I take a detour into sustainability for a moment. I have a Keurig. Those Keurig K-Cups make more plastic waste than I am comfortable with. I have two ways to address it.


My new favorite coffee company Cameron’s makes plastic-free K-Cups. They’re called eco-pods. I am looking their Winter Blend right now, but I have tried all the flavors. They are all good.


I also purchased a reusable K-Cup to use, so I can brew Starbucks coffee at home. Just a note, if you buy this type of K-Cup, you must buy your beans whole and have them ground because standard ground coffee in a bag is too coarse. Learned that lesson the hard way. Starbucks will do this for you at any location if it’s their coffee. They’re Holiday Blend is delicious. Drink it black delicious.


The last part is the hardest, but it’s the best. Be still. Just enjoy the moment. The smell of fresh brewing coffee is top five smells in life.

Breathe deep. Stretch. Sip. Enjoy.

Thoughts on the Global Pandemic: Routines

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I have been working from home for eight months now. I’ve developed some routines to help me as I adjust to my new normal. Ugh, I can’t believe I just typed that phrase. Oh well, here we go:

LIGHT
My apartment is so dark! Since daylight savings time has ended and the sun goes down at 5:00 p.m. I have noticed that I need a lot more light in my office. I ordered some new lamps.

MOVEMENT
This is something I probably should have been doing anyway, but now I’m at home and have no reason to feel self-conscious. I try to take a stretch break every two hours. This is also a good time to take a bathroom break or refill my water bottle. Take a moment to check in with my body.

COFFEE
This may need to be its own post. Yes, it does. But for now, I will say that I consider making – not just drinking – coffee part of my self-care routine. Cameron’s Winter Blend is my current favorite. The only possible way to have a good day is to start with coffee.

COOKING
I have so much energy because I don’t spend almost three hours a day commuting. (See previous post.) I plan meals and I cook meals. I can experiment with recipes and flavors. My body loves the act. It helps me decompress and serves as a transition from work to not work. It’s like I get to make little gifts for myself.

Now, I have time to squeeze fresh grapefruit juice in the morning. #NoMoreCommutingEver


CHORES
I contemplated leaving this one out, but it’s my website. I am a cerebral person. Sometimes, I get lost in my head and hyper focus on work tasks. Taking a break from staring a two big screens and working to stare at a small screen and not work isn’t helpful to me. So, I pick a small chore each day and take a break to do it. Today, I cleaned the tub.

I expect to continue to learn more about myself and make more adjustments as time goes on because all signs point to an eminent second shelter in place order.

Yours in hope and solitude, D. A.

Thought on the Global Pandemic: Working from Home

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I was recently given permission to work from home permanently. SO HAPPY. SO GRATEFUL.

My commute was hellish. It was such a struggle just to get to work; once I arrived, I was already tired and grouchy. Now, I have a whole new morning routine formed by what makes me feel good and prepared. I’m going to do a later post about that. I thought I would love everything about working from home. To my own shock and surprise, there are a few things about working from the office that I miss.

  1. My work chair: I never thought once about how different my work chair is from any of the chairs in my home. It was designed specifically to help me sit in it and work all day. The first couple of months I was home I did not have one and my body noticed the difference. I took a trip to my favorite store, Office Depot, and bought a new. My lower back is grateful.
  2. My desk: I had so much space to stack things. My cubicle walls were made of something that allowed me to hang things. I had risers and several drawers. I miss them so.
  3. My work family: there were a couple people in my office that I enjoyed chatting with and although we still chat via Teams and phone calls, it’s not really the same as coffee in the break room. My introvert nature is so grateful for the silence, but I have made it a point to reach to my work friends. I miss them.
A collage of Facebook posts describing several terrible commuting experiences.
For your viewing pleasure, a collection of my Facebook posts bemoaning my hellish commute.

I am hyperaware that working from home is a privilege. It’s one I am grateful to have. I will continue to adjust and keep posting as I learn. Maybe one day, I’ll be back out in an office and back to complaining about the state of the office fridge.

Yours in hope and solitude, D. A. Aset.

Thoughts on the Global Pandemic: Election Day

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This election coverage is no good for my mental health. I voted weeks ago by mail as I always do. Since I will not spend the day voting (because it takes hours in some parts of the country); I am making a plan for how I will be spending my day.

It’s confirmed. My ballot was accepted and submitted. Civic duty done.

I’ve decided to stay off the internet. I have the privilege of taking the day off and not working, so I won’t be required to be a functional human being that day. My plan is to spend the day drinking mimosas and watching One on One on Netflix. It was my favorite show when it was airing. I’ve been saving re-watching it for this specific purpose. I’m hoping the nostalgia will be all-consuming enough that I don’t even notice the world outside my bubble.

I am making my favorite dish, lo mein, for myself and my mother.

I pray for all of our safety, no matter the election’s outcome.

Yours in hope and solitude.

November is Native American Heritage Month

Posted in Awareness, Pop Culture, Self Reflection by

I am doing my best to be a better ally. I have to remind myself that my own marginalizations do not exempt me from perpetuating harm.

I wrote this on Indigenous Peoples Day in October and I want to keep that same energy throughout Native American Heritage Month.

My goal is to find at least two Indigenous people or organizations to support. I’ll update with my choices at the end of the month.

Until then, here’s a Vice article a friend of mine posted to Twitter about how to be an ally to Native and Indigenous people.