An estimated 624 million cups of coffee a day are consumed by those in the U.S. (about 83% of the adults). Add in the energy drinks, tea, and caffeinated soft drinks and 90% of us consume caffeine in some form daily. Wait, my friends at the AARP say coffee, in particular, may help prevent diseases like stroke and certain cancers, lower the risk of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and dementia, and boost our concentration and memory. “Coffee is an amazingly potent collection of biologically active compounds” says Walter Willett, M.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health.
Now that is what I am talking about. Never mind the too much of a good thing in the fine print, just add donuts to that list and I am on my way to the Good Living Olympics.
Feeling good and looking good now, I turn the page and read articles by Carole Fleck about the growing trend of discussing serious family topics in informal settings known as “Death Dinners”. That will bring an end to the coffee-buzzed fun, but she reports the trend of baby boomers to schedule these to discuss end of life decisions with friends and family. They are even ruining the good coffee thing by scheduling them at coffee shops.
She refers to sites such as Death Over Dinner (with directions how to start the conversation) and the Death Café. Boy if this is a trend, leave me out. I have told the Mrs. to at least get a second opinion before she and the Pool Boy pull out the plug on my machine, but to proceed. I am going out for coffee — and perhaps some Irish to go in it.
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