I have a complicated relationship with coffee.
Not complicated like I'm thinking of leaving. Complicated like I read every article about how I shouldn't drink it first thing — something about cortisol, something about waiting 90 minutes — and then I go downstairs anyway.
Here's my current compromise: first thing: ten minutes of yoga in my bedroom, facing the sun. That's it. That's my practice. And when I get downstairs, the coffee is already made.
My husband does that (he’s a saint). Every single morning without being asked. I pour that first cup and silently raise it to him like a toast he'll never see.
The second cup is when I really come alive. There's something about it that feels like a secret — like the first one was just warming up.
I still read the articles. I just refuse to let them take over my life.
Balance. Moderation. And starting the day like I'm the one in charge.
TODAY’S PICKS
THE FEATURE
Your Curiosity Is Just Getting Started.
I have always been the person who needs to know why. Apparently that gets stronger after midlife. Science finally has something good to say about us.
Tell me about your morning routine.
Coffee first or after? Workout or scroll? I want to know what the first hour looks like for you — the real version, not the aspirational one.
THE REFLECTION
Laugh. It's Doing More Than You Think.
Ten minutes of yoga. One glorious cup of coffee. Science says a good laugh does more for your body than you'd expect. I'm adding it to the routine.
THE WILDCARD
Why There's a Piano in Your Airport.
Not random. Not decoration. The reason it's there says something surprisingly human about what we need from each other — and honestly, better for your cortisol than anything at Gate B12.
My answer:
I’m sitting with this one. Probably with my second cup of coffee.
