Coke Zero

I wrote the following essay in one of my classes last semester. It was just a free write during class, the topic was your favorite beverage. When I started it, that was my intention but it turned into a reaction piece that was reacting to the birth of my cousin and some unforseen complications. Never fear! Rachel is doing BEAUTIFULLY now and has brought a lot of joy into my life (and my family's lives) since her arrival!

Coke Zero is the greatest beverage of all time, hands down. I discovered this tasty combination of flavors bursting with delightful bubbles inside your mouth about a year and a half ago and have been hooked ever since. Seriously, once you go Coke Zero, you never go back. Coke Zero combines enjoyably delicious flavors including vanilla and cassis (like cinnamon, only better) and it tastes even better than traditional Coca-Cola. There is no other way to describe it- it’s delicious! Coke Zero may be so delicious that you have a hard time wrapping your mind around the thought of it having nothing bad in it, but it’s the truth: Coke Zero is all of the good and none of the bad. It has no calories, no fat, no carbohydrates- its pure goodness. Coke Zero is like water, only tastier. Sure Coke Zero has some sodium in it, but let’s face it: we’re Americans and we love sodium.

In this world, it is very difficult to find something that is all good and no bad. Some things that are supposed to be pure joy (all good) can in the blink of an eye have this nasty haze over them. Take, for instance, the birth of a baby. This is a joyous occasion for a family to be able to welcome a new life into the world, but sometimes even something as happy and wonderful as a baby being born can turn ugly. There can be complications, things that the doctors didn’t catch in the million ultrasounds that the mother has prior to birth. There can be health issues that couldn’t be avoided, despite the doctors and medical experts’ best efforts. There could be the chance that everything isn’t quite right- and then what? Suddenly, an event that was supposed to bring so much joy and happiness into the lives of the family and loved ones turns into one that brings pain, fear, and a whole lot of questions. What happens next? Why us? Why this child? What do we do? Is everything going to be ok?

This turn of events from good to bad can happen to anything. Just like Alanis Morrisette’s song “Isn’t it Ironic?” so truthfully depicts, things just go wrong. Rain on your wedding day, free rides when you’ve already paid, good advice that you didn’t take, and so on. All events that are supposed to be good- the union of two people in love, a free ride, good advice- all with a sour tinge to them- rain, having already paid, not taking the good advice. Never fear though, this doesn’t happen with Coke Zero! Every time you pop open a can of this trusty beverage, you know what you’re going to get: all of the good, and none of the bad.