05 - Ode to My Coffee Mug

This morning, while having a cup a coffee, I wrote an entry in my Japanese blog for my friends back in Japan. I spent an entire hour musing about my favorite coffee cup. Prior to my high school graduation, my leadership class teacher, Ms. B, gave me a University of Florida coffee mug. She, too, attended UF, so it was quite a flattering gesture. Though I did not know it at the time, that coffee mug became a part of my adult life.

Gator Gal Through and Through
Throughout my years at UF, both as an undergraduate and as an employee, this mug was a constant in my life. This little guy has seen it all: writing papers, studying for exams, dancing with deadlines, all nighters, overtime, creative stalemates, stress relief, and sleepless nights. He sat by my side as a slaved over my senior project. He became my plus one at the office coffee pot. He served as my wingman as my colleagues and I de-stressed over office gossip and cups of tea. He celebrated with me when I was accepted into the JET Programme. Then I moved half way around the globe, and he moved in with my parents.

While I lived in Japan, I only managed to make it home a handful of times. Each time I came home, he greeted me with a eye-popping kiss good morning. Either that, or I had simply forgotten the strength of the Peterson home brew.  My parents have rather mixed collection of coffee cups, with some almost as old as my sister and I. When my parents set out the mugs beside the coffee pot for the morning round up, my Gator mug is always there. I am the only Gator in the family, but I don’t mind. After I returned from Japan last year, I lived at home for a while and enjoyed cups of java with my parents daily.

Mid way through last year, I received a job offer in New York after about six months of job hunting. Despite packing up my prized possessions, I left my Gator mug at home with my parents. I do not know why I did, but for some reason, I feel like my Florida mug, should stay in the Sunshine State. Since my relocation, I have returned home, to find my Gator mug waiting for me each morning. Without knowing it, something as trivial as a coffee mug has become a treasure and comfort for me. I would not go as far as to say it is an heirloom, not yet at least.

13 Years (and Countless Cups of Brew) Later…
I currently have three mugs in my New York collection: a black one from the 2009 Funhouse Tour at Madison Square Garden by P!nk, a white one from the Southern Most Tchotchke Shack in the Continental US with a Key West Mile Marker Zero logo, and a larger 4-leaf clover mug from Starbies. I love them, and they serve me well, but my UF mug has a certain nostalgic quality to it that the others have yet to achieve.

After years of abuse, my mug has not cracked or chipping despite my moving from desk to desk. He’s merely faded and stained from use. I know eventually, he may have to move in with me, but for now I like where he is at. He keeps an eye on my folks for me when I am not around. Maybe it is just another way to help me feel connected with my family when I live far away. I would like to add another UF mug to my collection, so I can flaunt my sunshine pride while I am away from home. I know it may not provide me the sense of security and comfort that my first UF mug has, but I think that is because it was the first piece of Gator memorabilia I ever had. He carries extra heft as it was a present from one of my teachers, and thought I never intended on becoming a teacher myself, I later found myself in Japan doing just that.

Post Script
The white charm attached to the mug was a gift from my friend Shiho. It was to help me in my post-JET job hunt, and I took it with me when I interviewed all over Tokyo and in New York.