What fills my cup?
Or, more accurately… cups.
One of the simplest ways I start my day with a smile on my face is with coffee in one of my favorite mugs.
I have a mug addiction. I’m not going to lie.
I have three plastic totes in the garage filled with mugs, plus more mugs tucked into their appropriate holiday bins in the attic. There are probably at least 100 mugs in my house—and that’s after I sold some at a yard sale.
It’s a problem.
But it’s a cute problem.
This addiction really began when Hubs and I were staying with my parents around the COVID pandemic. Most of our stuff was in storage at the time, so whenever I wandered through Marshalls and found an adorable Disney mug, holiday mug, or mug with a cute saying, I bought it and added it to storage.
Out of sight, out of mind, right?
Except I didn’t quite realize how many I was accumulating.
When we eventually moved into our condo, I unpacked said mugs into three large plastic totes that lived in our giant pantry. I hung a few favorites from hooks near our coffee maker and changed them out depending on my mood or the season.
Since moving into our house, my most-used mugs have stayed in the kitchen cabinet while the rest are sorted into bins. Sometimes I pull out the holiday mugs for decorating, but I don’t have any hanging up anymore.
I actually bought this super cool mug rack with visions of displaying some of my favorites.
Turns out it was a lot bigger than I anticipated.
Like… a lot bigger.
It didn’t work in our kitchen or dining room at all, which is just another entry in the very long history of my measurement failures. I am terrible at estimating the size of things. At this point, I just need to accept that measuring tapes exist for a reason and use one every single time.
Anyway, back to the mugs.
My current favorites include:
My Riverwatch Grill mug.
This one is very well-loved, if the fading is any indication. It’s from Riverwatch Grill in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, one of our family’s favorite little towns. You can head over to Traveling With My Bwuhs to read all about our adventures there. This mug makes me think of the mountains every time I use it.
My color-changing Disney World mug.
This one is just fun. When you pour hot liquid into it, the dark pattern transforms into a beautifully colored panorama featuring icons from the Disney World parks. Coffee and Disney magic? Yes, please.
Orange Bird.
I picked up this mug at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival last year. I am absolutely not known for being a lover of the color orange, but apparently Orange Bird is the exception.
I love Orange Bird.
Gimme all the Orange Bird things.
My Monorail-handled mug.
This is my newest favorite!
On our last Disney World trip at the end of the summer, I spotted this awesome mug in the gift shop at the Contemporary Resort. Naturally, I fell in love with it immediately.
Unfortunately, we were heading to Magic Kingdom, and carrying a breakable ceramic mug around a theme park all day didn’t sound like my brightest idea.
I reluctantly left it behind.
I was convinced I wouldn’t find it anywhere else. After all, it was a Monorail mug at a Monorail resort. Obviously, this was an exclusive situation.
Imagine my surprise when I walked into the gift shop at Art of Animation on the last day of our trip and there it was!
Clearly, it was meant to be.
And… another Monorail mug.
Because apparently one Monorail mug is not enough.
I saw this one during one of our Disney World visits but didn’t buy it at the time. I later found it online at the Disney Store and ordered it because, clearly, I am a sucker for Disney transportation.
I love the Monorail, Skyliner, trains, ferryboats, buses—all of it.
This mug even matches a tumbler I recently ordered from the Disney Store, because apparently I have now expanded my collection beyond mugs.
Send help.
Or don’t.
Because here’s the thing: my mugs make me happy.
They’re such a small, seemingly insignificant thing, but choosing one in the morning that matches my mood, reminds me of a favorite place, or makes me laugh brings me a little bit of joy before my day really gets started.
And lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about those little things.
Self-care doesn’t always have to be a weekend away, a spa day, or some elaborate routine that requires finding hours of free time I definitely don’t have. Sometimes it’s carving out a few quiet minutes. Sometimes it’s doing something you enjoy just because you enjoy it.
And sometimes?
It’s drinking coffee out of a ridiculous Monorail-handled mug.
My mugs are one of those little things that fill my cup—quite literally—and put a smile on my face.
And I’m learning that on this self-care journey, those little things really do matter.
What’s one small thing that “fills your cup” and brings you a little bit of joy in your everyday life?
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