Starbucks Addict

My office is in a brick-fronted professional building perched in between two small parking lots. On one side is Starbucks, and on the other is Dunkin' Donuts. It's a veritable Java stand-off. I believe I've mentioned before that I'm a hard-core Starbucks frequenter, so much so that when I walk through the door, the manager calls out my coffee drink ("Double tall, non-fat, extra-hot latte for Jassy!") to the "Barista" working the espresso machines. There is a delightful young woman called Jessie who works at the Starbucks next to my office. She has sandy-red hair, and a very vampish, punky pair of red-rimmed spectacles. I don't know much about her other than the fact that she is very close to her mum and that both she and her mother see each other as often as they can given their geographical challenges (I believe Jessie's mother lives down south.) Jessie is sunny, welcoming and friendly and I always get a kick out of seeing her. On the days when Jessie isn't working, my latte doesn't taste quite as good, and the experience of visiting Starbucks isn't quite as satisfying. Sadly, I don’t think she has any idea what a difference her sunny personality, friendly demeanor and upbeat character make to each 60 second transaction that is made across the Starbucks counter.

By the end of each day, the waste paper basket in my office is full of used Kleenex and Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts paper coffee cups, and ditto clear plastic cups with straws poked through the lids. I hasten to say that only one of those Starbucks cups is mine - I'm strictly a one-cup-a-day gal. Each day I buy my latte, and drink it at around 11am (what we call "Elevenses" in the UK ) accompanied by a teeny, tiny sliver of cheese cake which I bring from home. As much as I detest the corporate conglomerates, I am absolutely hooked on my daily java fix, and Starbucks is infinitely preferable to me than the water-bewitched-and-coffee-begrudged liquid served up by Dunkin Donuts.

As much as I dislike intensely lining Starbucks' coffers, I equally intensely like my ritual of walking into the Starbucks before heading into my office, and I like to feel part of the "community" in and around my office, and see Jessie's cheerful self along with her other friendly associates. It can get a little isolating sitting day after day in my office, drapes closed to shield clients from inquisitive eyes, working intently with clients, so those visits to Starbucks play a part in my experience of working in Watertown.

Recently it hit me with a jolt (and this was without much caffeine in my system) that if I added up all those $3.36 lattes I imbibe throughout the year, I spend a whopping $1,226.40. I had been prepared to suck that up and just accept it as a fact of life. But I'm trying to think outside the box more in my life and it seems to me that my coffee purchases are a good place to start. So, I'm going to invest in an espresso machine. I think they cost about $200. This means that within one year, I will have an extra $1,000 in my savings account, which is nothing to be sniffed at. I'm always encouraging my clients to think in different ways about their lives, so the idea of saving money seems like a good one. But there are some things that not spending money on will not take care of. I would very much miss the regular contact I have with people like Jessie, as small as it is. I'm just another one in a long line of customers to Jessie and the other hard-working Starbucks folks, but I try to make a difference in every situation I'm in, whether it's an extra-friendly hello, or remembering their pet's name, the fact that somebody just came back from a vacation, or asking what else they do with their life when they're not working at Starbucks. Big changes often start with small gestures. For example, if you can stand up to the office bully in one small way, you can maybe start the process of standing up to a bossy, opinionated, bullying parent. If you can show interest in one person in a small way, maybe they feel more a part of the community around them. It’s a start. And yes, I know it’s not much but it is a very simple way of me maintaining a connection to the people in my small "community."