Is it the general haze of sleep deprivation that seeps into my bones as a parent of two young children?
Is it my impatience at the leisurely pace of those around me when I’m trying to cram 1001 things into my day?
The answer, as always, can be found in varied places.
But the cause of this morning’s burst of internal fury was as clear as a blue summer sky.
Caffeine deficiency.
As members of a functioning society, we sign an unwritten social contract to carry out our lives in a certain way.
I’m not talking about the big ticket items which our government build laws and policy around.
I’m talking about holding the door open for the next person, waving thanks when being let into heavy traffic, putting the shopping trolley back in the bay and — in terms of this morning’s frustration — moving all the way up to the car in front of you in a drive-through.
I don’t know why being unable to place my coffee order until an extra car had picked up its goodies irked me so much this morning, but once I had eventually tasted the sweet nectar of my extra-shot latte I promptly calmed down.
I have only been a consistent coffee drinker for about five years, picking up the habit in my last year of university after a few months of transition mochas.
But when combining two of my main roles in society — that of a parent and a journalist — there is no way I could get through a day without a coffee.
Or six.
Tyler Maher is the editor of the Shepparton News.
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