9.11.2008

Being sick can be a good thing! Really! I'm serious!

So I've been a sick dog the past couple of days. There are few things I hate more in this life than being sick. I feel helpless, I can't get all the things done I want to, and I have to depend on other people to do things for me. Grrrr...

However, two wonderful things happened to me during my illness. First, I still had to go to my Food Studies class since I couldn't very well miss the first lecture! I had to get my NYU ID card beforehand (I'm official now!) and ended up in the Union Square area. Passing by Heartland Brewery, I saw a beacon, if you will, of the change in seasons: a banner advertising their Smiling Pumpkin Ale. I immediately went inside. I ordered an ale...and resisted ordering a second since I was going to class, after all. I have been savoring this first seasonal pint of Smiling Pumpkin Ale for three years now, and I was going to do it again this year...running nose be damned!

The second wonderful thing? I stayed home from work again yesterday, but I still had to take Kiddo to the bus stop. Rather than go upstairs and crawl back into bed, I had to walk to the newsstand to get the New York Times (Wednesday is Dining Section Day - read the flour article!). I glimpsed the Starbucks across the street and wondered... Could they? Would they? So I took a peek inside...and sure enough, Pumpkin Spice Latte up on the board!!! But that wasn't even the coolest part! The barista was as geeked up about it as I was!!! That doesn't happen very often, particularly in NYC. But he and I got into a real conversation about how much we love that Pumpkin Spice Latte has become the heralding of a new season. The nutmeg, the cinnamon, the whipped cream... Heck, even having a hot drink is a celebration!* I scuffled back home, cradling my latte and enjoying the quiet city streets, taking pleasure in something so small. Sometimes paying $5 for a small coffee seems like a bargain for the joy you get in return...**

It's these moments that I savor and even make me forget that I'm sick. Besides, if I hadn't been sick, I wouldn't have stayed home from work. In which case, I wouldn't have been able to go to class early on Tuesday and had time for the pumpkin ale. In which case, I wouldn't have had time to walk the streets and savor my pumpkin latte. Sometimes being sick is a sign that you need to slow down, take care of yourself, rest, and take stock of some things. I can't look at being sick as a bad thing for me right now - it allowed me to watch the nearly-overnight change in the seasons in New York City.

Eat, drink, and welcome autumn!


* For god's sake, please don't ever try the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino. It's disgusting. And just wrong. Or at the very least, if you do like it, don't tell me about it. I don't want to know.

** It must be said that I'm not going to start having $5 coffee drinks every day. I can't afford it. And it cease to be a special treat anymore. I'll probably only have 2-3 more the rest of the year.

2 comments:

Anali said...

Mmmmm....pumpkin ale! Pumpkin Spice Latte! I'm with ya, sista!

Unknown said...

LOL! I'm getting major deja vu from last autumn, Grumpator! I believe you and I fawned all over pumpkin things last year too! I'm going back in the archives...

I distinctly remember I posted about the pumpkintini...

But who cares? I love that we both love it so much!