Wisdom in a Starbucks cup

I awoke still drunk from last night, and definitely still feeling the effects presently, though for some reason, very hopeful. Petting my dog had a new allure to it, and even just the feel of my sheets around me felt divine. The song I’m listening to sounds better than it ever has before and this cappuccino is saving my life right now, though I have a feeling it all has to do with the alcohol still swimming around in my system. This is what is written on my coffee cup:

The Way I See It #141

“I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stumped by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say, “Hi.” They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that on word.” — Augusten Burroughs

I have had a love/hate relationship with Starbucks for years, and I’ve always found it funny that you can tell how a country’s economy is going by the price of a latte. The first time I enjoyed a Starbucks, I believe, was in the Philippines (which is still priced ghastly lower than here). The franchise near my house was a regular spot for my friends and I to meet up on our rollerblades and skateboards, though we didn’t drink coffee, we usually got lollipops and sodas, I think flavored Crystal Geyser’s to be exact. I remember that at this time I had no idea what capitalism meant, or franchises for that matter. Then I moved out and skipped off to Hawaii. Not until my junior or senior year of high school did they open a Starbucks in my small town and at first I was quite excited about it. There had only been one coffee shop before and it wasn’t the best for caffeinated beverages, or so I thought. Looking back, that little coffee shop is the kind of place I would go to now: cozy, art on the walls, friendly people, and unpretentious coffee with good prices. In high school I definitely didn’t fully realize that the Starbucks was taking business away from that cozy, little coffee shop though I can say that I have some great memories from it.

My best friend at the time, Leialoha, and I had a strange (and in our eyes, hilarious) habit of getting all dolled up and going to the supermarket and/or Starbucks, renting a movie, and then going home. I remember revealing some tearful/awful/ridiculous/embarassing things to each other over a chai or a hot chocolate in that Starbucks, and for that I wouldn’t trade the world. Especially since I did a hit and run (on a car, not a person) outside of the other little coffee shop, for which the cops came to my school and took me in. And to that, I wish you all a good morning.

~Kiki