Most everyone who works for a living sees coffee breaks as vital parts of employment. After a few hours on the job, it's a little ray of sunshine and something to look forward to.

From childhood, we were raised with the concept of coffee breaks. What is recess, after all, if not a preadolescent form of the coffee break? It seems that ever since we were children, we have been taught that we all need rest. Recess, to children, was the one time in the entire day when they could be themselves without the pressures of their teachers.

What makes coffee breaks so important?

Coffee breaks hold a lot of clout, even to those who don't drink coffee. These daytime oases are much more than opportunities to sip a cup of joe. A coffee break is the chance to relax, kick back, cool off a little and get an energy recharge to prepare for what's coming next.

These breaks are really metaphors for our lives. Coffee breaks are there because we are, after all, only human. We simply can't work all day without any rest. Even God took a rest after creating the world.

Machines, like people, need to take breaks during the day. Otherwise, they'll overheat, overstress and eventually break down. Maybe we're not that different from machines, after all. We all need to take a coffee break to keep cranking out the work.

When you're feeling blue and tired of your job, you don't really look forward to retirement, do you? You're anticipating that coffee break and what comes with it. You look forward to chatting with your co-workers, to a cup of stimulating coffee, and to a snack and time to think and plan ahead.

Of course, we all have futures and long-term plans to look forward to, but we also need something in the meantime that's more immediate to keep us going until those plans come to fruition. A coffee break is much like sleep: You look forward to it, but you know you can't have it forever. If you slept forever, you'd have no chance to live your life. So, you eagerly anticipate that little rest on your coffee break but, knowing that you can't live if you don't earn money, you don't plan on taking a coffee break for the rest of your life.

Time holds so much importance in today's society. Even the most time-conscious person, however, will agree that coffee breaks are a much-needed component of productivity.

A coffee break gives you time to become refreshed, to assess your work and to determine your pace. You can take the time to reflect on what you've done, and consider what you'll do next. Your coffee break is the opportunity to clear your thoughts and forget, for a few moments, about the pressures of the clock.

Socializing at work should be encouraged. After all, how many times have you worked in an environment for several years, yet knew very little about the person sitting next to you?

Lunch breaks don't hold the same motivation. Lunch is a necessity, because we need to eat. These midday breaks are times to recharge our overused batteries, but they just don't offer the same sort of comfort.

This comfort is what makes our coffee breaks so special. We're encouraged to gather with our co-workers, to connect and interact. Coffee breaks provide the peaceful rest that we need. So go ahead and take a break. You've earned it.