Keep Calm & Drink Coffee



A wonderfully gray and chilly Michigan winter day. Roads are icy, so its slow going to my chiropractic appointment at Chiropractic Unlimited. After a little snap, crackle, pop, I walk into one of my favorite coffee shops to do some work on my newly designed Ronin Krav Maga website (Link is to the current site. The new one isn't quite ready yet). There are a group of about six young ladies ordering and asking the barista a number of questions about the coffee selections, so I go to my usual spot and start unpacking my gear. I take off my coat, stuff my scarf into my sleeve. Out comes my computer, plug in the cord, get my earbuds, put in my thumb drive, grab my notebook, get situated. Forgot my phone is in my jacket pocket, I'll need that. Oh, my calendar is in my pack too. Have to have that too. Finally after all of that's done I sit down and see that the internet connection isn't working.  I screw around with that for a few minutes... still not working. Get up check to make sure I have the correct password... Yep, so why isn't it working?! Oh, only one person in line now... Put my computer down and wait behind a lady with two very energetic little boys about 3 years old. Cute, they were giving their mom a run for her money. Climbing on the shelves, rearranging the merchandise, re-climbing the shelves, re-rearranging the merchandise... She orders three bags of coffee beans, one Milky Way Blend, one Ursa Major Blend and one large bag of Burundi. 

"Oh, can I get those ground too?" She says. 

"No problem." Comes the reply. "Of course. Regular coffee machine right?"

"Yea."

"Do you want a bag?"

"Yes please, that'd be a big help." She exclaims as her two monkeys squeal joyfully and continue to climb all over the poor lady. 

Finally, I'm up. My big moment! I lament as I take my place at the counter to place my order.

"Your usual?" The barista says casually.

"Absolutely."  

By now my mouth is watering as I think about that frothy goodness touching my lips and the energizing caffeine from the Latte God coursing through my veins. I'm ready! 

"Oh, we don't have any 2%." The heartless barista says nonchalantly as only a millennial can.

You gotta be fu*#ing kidding me?! After all of that?! That would have been nice to know two hours ago! I thought as I did my best to paint on a slight smile of indifference. 

Suppressing the knee jerk emotional response to throw a Bruce Lee style nuclear reactor beat down on the kid and then burn the fn place to the ground. (Cut away to a scene from something like Sly Stallone's cheezy 80's movie Cobra.... "You're the disease my overly casual millineal barista and I'm the cure... BOOM! hahahahaha! Or the ever popular Scarface... "Say hello to my little friend.... ratatatatatatat... hahahahaha!!).  

Yes, it IS sometimes hard to believe that I am 46 year old man who teaches conflict management for a living! My inner child is, well, still a child. Picture Calvin, from Bill Watterson's beloved Calvin & Hobbes comic series. =)

You may be wondering the same thing the barista was; why couldn't I just change my order to one of their other offerings like whole, almond or soy milk? Well, whole milk slaps my stomach around like a red headed step child and the other two choices just taste like crap. If I'm going to pay $95 for my pretentious coffee, I was going at least get what I wanted. But that wasn't going to happen here today. So, what seems like an hour later I finally get my gear packed back up and go on my way.

Ahhhh... The Holiday Season! 

As you might suspect (hopefully) I am over dramatizing the interaction, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Yes, a little frustrating, maybe even disappointing, but no big deal, it wasn't even really worth mentioning. In reality the interaction took maybe 10 or 15 minutes. They told me they didn't have my usual, I smiled, thanked them, wished them a Merry Christmas and went on my way. I embellished the story to drive my point home. So what is my point? 

Don't let the small stuff distract you from your Holiday Cheer!  

It's so easy to become overwhelmed with life especially this time of year, but don't loose sight of what we are supposed to be celebrating. "Goodwill toward all" and stuff! That's right! This is a time to be thankful! A time for empathy, compassion and love! So, 
Take care of yourself. You'll enjoy the Holidays so much more if you don't loose your baseline. 

How?! 

I'm glad you asked. 

Here are some suggestions:  

  • Get some sleep!
  • Don't over do it on the junk food and drink 
  • Exercise (even a little)
  • Be grateful for who and what you have in your life
  • Keep it simple
  • And Breathe, damn it, Breathe!
Happy Holidays Everyone!

All the best,
~Craig

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are people from Crete Creteans??

Here I am in Crete. It is a pretty cool island. It is a bit more difficult getting around, but far from impossible. Most people speak at least a little english and I have gotten very good at asking (in Greek) if they speak english. I walked around about 15 miles today. Into town, around town, to all (and I do mean all) of their museums, archelogical sights, some cafe's and town squares. I really didn't even get lost today. Wow, I must be making some progress. I met a couple English people (yes, people from England silly) we hung out until about 1am or so and talked about politics, troubled youth, the difference between the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service (don't ask, if I told you I'd have to kill you:), body guards, ccw laws etc. It was kinda of funny, most of the museums that I went to today were under construction and had only one exhibit open. Geeze, you'd think that they would have at least discounted their entry price, but noooooooo! Oh well. I at least had a real
Read more

What's Your Rosebud?

Image
  One of my favorite classic movies is: "Citizen Kane" It starred Orson Welles. [NOTE: spoiler ahead - if you haven't seen it] And, was about the life and legacy of a powerful newspaper publisher, based partly on the late William Randolph Hearst. The movie starts with Charles Foster Kane dying, with his last word being "Rosebud" — and the entire movie is this sort of question of what "Rosebud" is. Turns out it was simply the trade name of a cheap little sled on which Kane was playing on the day he was taken away from his home and his mother as a child. Welles revealed in an interview: "In his subconscious it represented the simplicity, the comfort, above all the lack of responsibility in his home, and also it stood for his mother's love which Kane never lost." The point? We All Have Our Rosebud That thing, moment, or whatever it is that anchors, drives, guides, or inspires you.  For example, the late Johnny Carson and the book of magic tr
Read more

You'll Never Guess What This Parrot Said!

Image
  The Parrot Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly Mother. . The first said,  "I built a big house for our Mother." . The second said, " I sent her a Mercedes with a driver." . The third smiled and said,  "I've got you, both beat. You know how Mom enjoys the Bible, and you know she can't see very well. I sent her a parrot that can recite the entire Bible. It took 20 monks in a Monastery 12 years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute $5,000 a year for 10 years, but it was worth it. Mom just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot will recite it." . Soon thereafter, Mom sent out her letters of thanks: "Dearest First Son,"  she wrote the first son,  "the house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but have to clean the whole house." . " Dearest Second Son,"  she wrote to another,  "I am t
Read more