There was a tragic turn of events last week. My beloved two dollar “hand-crafted-by-foreign-children-so-as-to-be-available-to-hoarding-americans-who-don’t-need-more-of-anything-for-two-dollars” coffee mug from Target was forever lost to this world because of soapy dish hands and an industrial sink. It was quite sad when it shattered, and I feared that my mornings were to be forever a little less happy. Not that I’m really ever all that happy before 8am.
You see, I judge the quality of my day based on how much I enjoy my morning coffee, and that stupid mug made countless mornings just a tad brighter, mostly because it didn’t hold heat very well and I like my morning soup luke warm. I’m a weirdo, what can I say. Thank goodness for those tiny, inexpensive and uneducated factory hands and Lord Jesus bless that mug.
R.I.P Cheap Ceramic Cup, provenance: Target on La Brea (2004-2010).
I thought my morning happiness was lost forever, or at the very least I might have to suck it up and drive the seven minutes it takes to get to Peet’s on Larchmont for the foreseeable future. But something happened to change the game completely. Something happened that would make all my mornings a little bit sunnier.
Heath Ceramics launched its winter seasonal collection on October 1st. And it’s RED. And it’s handmade BY ADULTS. In Sausalito. Who get HEALTH BENEFITS. But maybe it’s selfish of me (or motivated by elitist liberal guilt) to be voting with my dollars on artisanal American products, but whatever, I don’t need a hundred mugs. I need one.
I spent my very last $35 on my new mug last week, which if I amortize the cost out over, say, six years, will break down to about 1.5 cents a day. I think that is an acceptable price to pay for a little morning happiness and for a lot of responsible manufacturing and humane working practices.
Truly it needs no justifying because I am thoroughly in love with my new mug. Now if I can just find a way to get my dirty paws on some bowls...
That’s all. Off the soap box for now and back to the soup.
Soup On!