Breakfast Through a Microscope

Notes from the Prairie: I Wonder Column # 12

Photo by Joseph Gonzalez on Unsplash

Sometimes in early mornings, my brain becomes a microscope. That transformation occurs again today as I start my coffeemaker.

Previous early-morning thinking has produced two practices:

• I use organic grounds from a local fair-trade store, The Work of Our Hands. My thought process: It is better for the environment, better for me, and better for the coffee farmers, whose income from fair trade groups is higher than from large corporations.

• I use a combination of decaffeinated and caffeinated grounds. After a cardiologist advised me to cut my coffee use in half, I thought, I can’t do that! Coffee is crucial for my morning rituals and functioning. . . . I know! I can cut the amount of caffeinated grounds in half and still sip the same volume of coffee.

. . .

Here’s the background: After the cardiologist diagnosed me with a non-dangerous arrhythmia, he asked, “How much coffee do you drink per day?

I paused for two seconds, chose my words with care, and answered, “Two mugs. First thing in the morning.”

He saw through my word choice. He raised his eyes from his notes, wrinkled his brow, and followed up. “And how much does each mug hold?”

I looked at the floor. “Two cups.” I may or may not have underestimated the mug size slightly.

“Cut your consumption in half,” he instructed.

Ouch. Traveling home, I decided on the win-win solution of half-caff.

(Yes, yes, I know this backstory is a rabbit trail. But as an older adult, I am entitled to rabbit trails. See last week’s column for proof.)

. . .

This morning, my wondering takes new microscopic directions. I wonder which conserves more energy: to let the pot stay on after it finishes brewing or to turn it off and then warm subsequent cups in the microwave.

I consider how to calculate that. I’d need to figure how much energy the pot consumes per hour and how much energy the microwave uses to warm a mug of liquid. It would probably vary by which brand of coffeemaker and microwave are used. I also wonder, how do I weigh the value of my time against that of protecting the environment?

Too time-consuming. I have meetings to attend, appointments to keep, volunteer work to do, and columns to write.

I decide on an intuitive leap. I will keep the coffeemaker on for the first half hour until I drink my second mug. If any coffee is left behind, I will turn off the pot and use the microwave later. Yes, I sometimes adjust the ratio of caffeinated to decaffeinated grounds so I can sip even more, but not increase my caffeine intake. I did not confess these occasional binge days to the cardiologist. After all, he never asked about exceptions.

I pop in the toast, pull out a bowl, and spray it with cooking oil in preparation for cracking a local, farm-fresh egg into it. Buying this way is the only new action step I found after a six-session online seminar, “Food and Faith.” Buying locally produced eggs reduces the use of fossil fuels and of transportation costs.

The spray can of olive oil feels light in my hand. If I don’t hold it upright, it sputters. Soon I will need to buy a new one. Perhaps I should just spread the oil instead of spraying it. It would reduce the number of metal cans in the landfill a bit. Or are metal spray cans recyclable? I don’t know.

Then again, I use less oil spraying than spreading. And if I used waxed paper or a paper towel to spread oil, I would be using more resources. If I spread it with my hands, I would consume water and soap. It would also require more of my time. . . .

I fail to arrive at a decision.

The can sputters but does not run empty.

Phew! Decision delayed.

I have received a reprieve. A moment of grace.

Now as I remember and keystroke, my microscope vanishes. My vision expands. I remember I am offered grace every minute of every day, and I am grateful.

I am grateful I am responsible for asking questions and making choices.

I am also grateful grace offers forgiveness for the times I get it wrong.

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Carol Van Klompenburg is a writer living in Pella, Iowa. She has a BA in English and an MA in Theater Arts, and she is available for reading performances of her work.

Free sample chapters from her recent book, “A World in a Grain of Sand: Lively Little Stories of Household Stuff” are available simply by emailing Carol a request at carolvk13@gmail.com. She’d love to email the chapters to you, no obligation. The complete book is available in Pella from her or from Pella’s Curiosity Shop. It can also be ordered from Amazon.

Readers are calling it “stirring,” “winsome,” and “delightful.”