I am physically and mentally exhausted right now; emotionally... not so much :)If you have heard me tell my stories, you have probably heard me mention that I have/ still work for Starbucks. You have probably also heard me mention that I do not enjoy it. I am here today to tell of a different perspective.
Although I may not see working at Starbucks as a life 'goal' or dream, I am uber Grateful for my experiences there.
Why? Because of the people.
For some reason, I have been blessed during my years at Starbucks to have worked alongside individuals in front of whom I feel totally OK with being myself. The goofy, cooky, silly, sing-y, ecstatic, happy, beautiful, helpful, caring, mothering, healthy, loving, optimistic, inspiring and grateful part of myself. AS WELL AS the frustrated, exhausted, tired, ugly, pessimistic, run-down, judgmental, angry, whiney, out of shape, preachy, egotistical, snappy, and i-dont-give-a-hoot part of myself. For that I am so grateful.
To have people in my life that accept me for what I am going through at any given moment, and to help me accept my self better in that moment as well.
I have learned SO much about relationships with people in the past 4 years working there, especially about how you (and I) can make a positive impact on the world around us NO MATTER what we are doing. (Even if it is working for a corporation that some consider 'evil' 'wasteful' and 'unnecessary' - terms I have used in the past to describe Starbucks.)
It brings me back to a piece of wisdom that a very gifted massage therapist (and loving being) left with me - describing exactly what my experience at Starbucks has been. She told me that she believed people can have a positive impact on others no matter WHAT (almost) their career path.
I took it as being kind, helpful, empathetic, knowing when to listen and when to give advice, being non-judgmental, and smiling genuinely whenever possible. Seeing the brighter side of things and being aware of the human-ness of each and every person.
No matter what we are 'doing' - we are all alike. We either struggle with or take gratitude in the daily 'grind' of living - we ask questions about existence that no one seems to know the answers to - and most importantly, we are there for each other when times are tough and uncertain .. when there are croissant crumbs littering the floor that we have swept 3 times already, and it seems like we are being tested by customer after customer trying to uncover our wit's end.
Between scraping out chocolate syrup crust from espresso machine crevasses and witnessing extremely sore muscles from slinging milk pitchers around all day, we explore and express our gratitude for one another , the fun, the frustrating, the happy, annoying, and loving parts of every single one of us.
Relationships have the power to help us learn and grow as individuals and as communities, so for the utterly genuine and REAL relationships that Starbucks has served as a catalyst for, I am eternally grateful.
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