It’s funny. When people hear I’m doing a Whole30, the highest response I get is… “There is no way I could live without my coffee creamer.”

It’s really not funny though. Not having the luxurious dairy divinity making my coffee a caramel-colored piece of heaven is no laughing matter.  I have felt (and some mornings still do feel) the same way as these well-intentioned nay-sayers. You see, I mentioned before that my husband makes my coffee for me every morning. And this is more than just a cup of Folgers. It’s the perfect cup of coffee (we are Nespresso lovers), in the perfect cup. I know I’m weird, but the cup does matter to me. It has to be the perfect fit for my hands, soft edged, and pretty or at least TJ Maxx checkout line kind of cool. And, when he delivers it to me amidst the hustle and bustle of prepping the three kiddos to get ready in the morning,  it’s the perfect way to start the day.  It makes me happy.

So, how do you get through letting go of an element of one of the best parts of your day? How do you replace a piece of your happiness?  That’s what it comes down to isn’t it? whether it’s coffee creamer or Oreos – that sinful bliss makes us happy (for the moment) and we don’t want to sacrifice our own happiness.

Well – I don’t know if I can rationalize and fix the yearning we all have for the decadence of coffee creamer – but I do know this little thought has really helped me along this journey thus far.  This was my devotion I had waiting for me in my inbox the day before I began Whole30. Coincidence?  I think not.

What do I say to that?? What can I possibly replace my perfect cup of coffee with? Well, for me I can’t honestly say that I’ve come to love my black coffee, no sugar, no cream. But I can honestly say that I still enjoy the warmth of it and appreciate the love it is being delivered to me with.  I have come to see what that perfect cup of coffee represents for me – more than just lusting after the creamy, frothy mixture.  With cream or without, it’s a cup, delivered to me with the most sincerest of love and filled with promise of the start of a new day.  The teachers at my son’s school say “every day is a fresh start – you start with a clean slate.”  Wouldn’t that be nice if we all approached each day that way? And didn’t let the heaviness of yesterday weigh us down today?

So no, I haven’t snuck any creamer in my coffee for the past 12 days. I’ve replaced it with the realization that I love the moment and the meaning of it just as much as I love the ingredient with which it had previously been prepared. So maybe I’m learning to stop focusing on the love of the food to make me happy – and start focusing on the love that is happiness around me instead.