A Surprising Starbucks “Stacation”

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blogging101, Creative Writing, Journaling, Memories, Reflections, Starbucks, Writing 101

I was going stir crazy sitting in this house yesterday. His lordship had driven the Suburban to work and left me the car for any last minute things that needed rounded up before we leave today for our family cabin in the Uintah mountains. But I’m organized when I want to be, and all the groceries, paper products, etc., are here and ready to go. There are a few last minute cold things to pick up in Evanston, Wyoming, but for the most part, I got this! Bran and I will have the truck loaded and ready to go when HL gets off work at 2:00.

None of that helped my “cabin fever”, however, so I grabbed a book of poetry and headed to Starbucks with a fully loaded gift card. There’s nothing better than an hour’s “stacation” at Starbucks, sipping on a Raspberry Mocha Frappucino and slowly devouring a piece of their pumpkin bread. I made and paid for my order and was just standing there watching one of my favorite baristas make my drink when someone nestled in a chair across the store called over and asked me how I was doing.

I hadn’t noticed the gal and her husband sitting there when I’d come in, as fixated as I ‘was on settling in to read. But I gave them my full attention now. She’d had knee surgery and her leg was propped up on a chair, her white TED socks hugging both her bad leg and her good. “How you doing today?” she asked. “Bored!” I answered.

I asked her about her leg and the surgery, addressing a comment or two now and then to her husband. They called my name for my drink and instead of isolating myself at my usual table like I’m wont to do, I sat down on the arm of a couch across from them. We’d talked for maybe half an hour and it slowly dawned I me she knew who I was, and I knew her from — somewhere?

Finally I said to her, “I remember your faces, but I can’t for the life of me recall your names or where I know you from.” (It’s not like me to ever admit that to anyone.) Turned out she was having a hard time remembering where she knew me from, too! (That made me feel tons better!) Her name was Jeanie, and as soon as she said it, it dawned on me where we’d met — church. The church she attended was renting the lower level of our building — 20 years ago!

We sat there and talked about old times, when our kids were little, doing VBS together, going to a women’s retreat together, and on and on. It was like entering Mr. Peabody’s Way Back machine. We talked for nearly an hour and I never did open my poetry book. But that was the best “Starbucks stacation” I’ve ever had. I came away from that little encounter thinking of a quote from Colette* that says: “What an interesting life I had. And how I’d wish I had realized it sooner!” LOL

So the day turned into an unexpected adventure and, as usual, left me wondering what Karmic path had led us both to Starbucks. I don’t believe in coincidences, so I’m figuring on seeing Jeanie sometime again soon!

 

 

*Colette (French) was the surname of the French novelist and performer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954). She is best known for her novel Gigi, the basis for the film and Lerner and Loewe stage production of the same title. Colette was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948.