There Are Two Kinds of People in the World . . .

Coffee Drinkers and Tea Drinkers

Ok, so maybe that’s a big generalization, but work with me here.  I often play this game in my head where I find little things that can be used to differentiate people.  For example, left-handed and right-handed people, dog-lovers and cat-lovers, introverts and extroverts, and so on.   But, so far my favorite designation, and the one with the fewest gray areas, is the coffee vs. tea preference.

Several times, I have made people uncomfortable, such as once in Starbucks when a colleague picked up his Venti Latte and I said skeptically, eyes squinted, “Interesting…I would have thought you were a tea drinker.” Awkward silence.

I find the details of a person’s preferences, habits, and characteristics to be fascinating. I’m always curious as to someone’s birth order, favorite color or zodiac sign. I usually always pick up on regional accents, unusual behaviors or food likes and dislikes. Even my husband, who has come to understand my curiosity for personal details, has been known to subtly elbow me and tilt his head to point out that someone is a left-hander (Aaaah that explains so much!).

I find these sorting mechanisms an interesting and helpful way to understand people. I am a bit of a contradiction myself, almost subliminally trying to defy any stereotypes that may be placed on me. For example, I’m an outgoing introvert, a creative accountant, a chatty listener.  I can’t stop looking around the room in yoga class. I love to travel, yet vacation at the same beach every summer. I love to cook, but use recipes only as inspiration. My music preferences include everything from Bruce Springsteen to The Weeknd, with a good amount of Kelly Clarkson and General Public. But mostly -  I am coffee drinker who sometimes wants to be a tea drinker. There. I said it.

Tea drinkers are so chill and relaxed and vegetarian. Coffee drinkers are intense, frantic and not good listeners. See how I stereotyped there. But seriously, I like the idea that some days I can be a coffee drinker and some days a tea drinker. OK, realistically, every day I am a coffee drinker, but some days I can add in a cup of tea. Especially, if my friend Anya invites me over on a Sunday morning after church. Anya, a monogamous tea drinker, not only knows how to serve a proper cup of tea, but she makes a mean cappuccino.

I guess I may have had too much coffee today, but my point is that in my experience, you can learn a lot about people by noticing the details.