Budget cuts

It was with great sadness that I ate my lunch today in the teacher's lunch room. It was at this time that I learn of another beloved member of our school family that bit the dust due to budget cuts. Today I realized that the water cooler has been removed. (sniff sniff)

That water cooler has been my good friend for many years now. I would take my big insulated mug to lunch with me each day, fill it with ice, then add fresh, clean, clear water from the cooler. That mug of water would last me the entire afternoon until I went home (usually around 5 or 6pm). If the water got too warm, all I had to do was add more ice and my cool refreshing water was once again thirst-quenching.

Sometimes I would take in Ramen soup for lunch and again, my water cooler friend would be there to add hot water to my noodles. What a warm fuzzy I would get from having hot soup from lunch with my good friend!

But, alas, budget cuts have forced my friend and I to part ways. Needless to say, I was not happy. My healthy water beverage no longer is there for me...to comfort me on those long, parched days. Oh sure, I could drink a Coke, Sprite, or Rootbeer, but those beverages, while tasty, don't have the ability to quench my thirst, cool my throat, and make me feel energized! Not to mention that those empty calories and high sugar content drinks are no good for my health.

So, with great sadness, I said goodbye to a dear friend. Never again will I be able to enjoy a quick energy boost or relaxing and soothing drink that will calm my nerves on a hectic day.

Goodbye my friend. You will be missed. And, budget cuts be damned!

Side note: Both the Coke and Pepsi machine have managed to make the cut. Oh, the horror!