Grande..Venti...Happy.

Oh, Starbucks. That caffeinated haven of treats, nestled on street corners far and wide. I felt it was high time I write a little something about this place, whose trademark green and white has a special spot in my heart.

My first foray into the world of lattes was in high school, when for some reason my friends and I decided that we didn't spend enough time together as it was, both in school and out, and decided it was absolutely necessary to meet before school even began. Mind you, our first class started at 7:25 am, so short of going to eachother's houses and pulling eachother out of bed, what could we really do in the morning? Go to Starbucks, of course. Now, this was in the mid 90's, even before the height of the Starbucks phenomenon--so to us it was a novelty, and I can only think we fancied ourselves quite grown-up and bohemian to be visiting a coffee house for our morning caffeine fix. So, several mornings a week we drove in the opposite direction from school and convened at 6:30 am, Starbucks mugs in hand. Back then, I knew so little about the menu, and at that time it probably contained about a quarter of today's options. Due to my early morning weariness and adolescent absence of conviction, I always ended up with a raspberry latte. I'm not sure I even liked it, but all in all it wasn't really about the drinks, but that my extremely tight knit group of friends squeezed another half hour of companionship into our days.

After high school, my trips to Starbucks were more infrequent, perhaps ironically as their presence was on the rise. But then, I moved to New York City, and when one beckons on every block, they're impossible to resist. Thanks to several more savvy friends, I was introduced to larger array of drink options. There was my skim chai kick, my sugar free vanilla skim latte kick, then there was the discovery of just how tasty a huge cookie shared with a friend over a cup of tea could be. I think because I had now succeeded in satisfying my taste buds, I took more notice of the atmosphere in Starbucks. Cozy, without a doubt. A place that immediately felt warm and inviting as you ducked in out of the biting wind on Broadway. Somewhere that would let you sit, for hours on end, long after the last drop of cappucino, and engross yourself in a novel, slave over your laptop in the quest to write your own, or just daydream about possibility. I grew to love this about Starbucks--that as soon as you see that circle logo, you know there's a place where you can go, and just be.

Several years and life changes later, I had quit my job in the city and had a full on case of the blues. It was Halloween, and as my sister and I brainstormed costume ideas, I was inspired by a Frappucino bottle turned bank that sat in her closet. That's how my sister, my boyfriend and I ended up at a Halloween party, dressed as a caramel macchiato, a barista, and a mocha macchiato, respectively. Which led to a fellow guest commenting that Starbucks is a solid corporation to work for, offering health insurance to it's part time employees--music to my unemployed and Cobra paying ears. And so, several weeks later, there I was at the Caldwell Starbucks, feeling slightly conspicuous in my green apron, on my first day of barista training.

Sure, over the next few weeks I had my share of mental wars as I struggled to pull the shots, steam the milk, mop the floors and properly work the cash register. The strain of "I'm wasting my college degree, I'm too smart for this, I used to have so much responsibility", careened around my head. But little by little, it quieted until I realized that it really, really didn't matter. Because all of a sudden, I was zooming around the bar, greeting customers by name, and genuinely enjoying being at work every day. And man, what a great feeling.

About a month after my first station at the Caldwell Starbucks, I moved to our new store in Roseland, and over the first few days of its grand opening, met my new associates. I could tell almost immediately, as we restocked cups, shouted drink orders and filled cup after cup, that it was one of those special combinations of people that just click. After a few weeks, we were our own little family, and our new store was like our home that we welcomed our customers into daily. We were constantly laughing, sharing thoughts and concerns, and looking out for eachother. In doing so, we created a store environment that our customers loved coming to--as evidenced by handwritten notes and countless whispered admissions that ,"I used to go to the Caldwell store, but I switched because I LOVE coming here."

As for me, I enjoyed every minute behind the counter. It ocurred to me that this job was perfect for my psyche and my personality. I loved setting people up with their morning coffee, their afternoon fix, their indulgence. It appealed to the Italian in me...and the mother/grandmother to come. I have always had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and it was a delight to find there is a myriad of things to know about coffee. I loved educating my palate to the different roasts, beans from different regions, feeling the citrus taste in a Latin American coffee burst in my mouth when I paired it with a yummy slice of lemon loaf. I reveled in being surrounded by people from so many different backgrounds and walks of life, after years of being comfortable in very homogeneous environments. I've always been a "school spirit" kind of person, and now I was infected with a company spirit, always feeling a certain pride when visiting stores all over.

I loved getting to know my customers--who knew that you could feel such satisfaction, and this little fizzle of personal connection when you can greet your customer by name and make his/her drink before he even reaches the register? That seeing little baby Hannah come in every day with her mom,smiling and giggling, could always make you happy? As an actor, I revel in moments--it's what we always seek to find on stage--points when the words in the script come out of your mouth, but instead of coming from your head, come from your soul. And that's what Starbucks gave me--hundreds of little moments to brighten my soul.

I give much credit to Starbucks and my fellow partners for the personal growth I experienced during my time there. When I started, I was feeling so heavy inside. But little by little, wearing that green apron, calling out "Decaf Venti Skim no Whip Mocha" with no shame-- it taught me to just enjoy life for the simple, lovely fact that there is so much joy in human connection, sustenance, and a good, warm cup of coffee.