I was dreaming I was still at Starbucks and someone was ordering this incredibly ridiculous drink that really doesn't even exist, but I some how managed to figure out he was talking about a cappuccino. As for the second drink he ordered, I asked him to repeat it, then I woke up.
Today was a weird day at Starbucks. I mean the customers, not all, but a lot of them were just weird. By weird I mean cranky. Maybe it's the weather. It's a dark gloomy day and it's been raining since at least 5am this morning when I left for work. I'm sure people are tired of the gray skies after seeing more than enough of them over the long winter, and I wouldn't exactly say spring has arrived yet. In fact, other than a randomly placed 3 days, spring never arrives in Chicago. So I can understand their crankiness.
Before I get in to that, let me start on a positive note... John. Another new favorite of mine. He's not new to the store, he's been a regular for quite some time now but me being the new girl, I've only recently had the pleasure of making his latte. John is an older man with perfectly bright white hair and I swear to you I'm not lying nor being cheesy when I say his eyes sparkle. They seriously sparkle. I don't know if its the way he smiles or something that he eats, but there is a sparkle in his eye that can not be duplicated in the movies. I honestly don't even know what color his eyes are because I'm too distracted by the sparkle to actually look. In fact, if someone were to ask me what color eyes he had, I think my answer would be "sparkled."
The first time I met John he was standing behind someone who had just ordered a cappuccino. I love making cappuccinos and I was pretty stoked about the one I had just crafted, so when I handed it off I told the lady who ordered it, "this is one of the best cappuccinos I have ever made." I was hoping for a big smile and a "thank you," but she at least grinned, so that was nice. John's drink was next, which is always a venti nonfat latte. I called it out and as he walked up to the hand off plane, he asked, "now is this the best venti nonfat latte you've ever made?" He smiled real big to show he was teasing me, but when I looked up and say that sparkle in his eye, I couldn't lie to him, "no, actually it's not." He laughed really hard as if I was teasing with him, so I clarified, "honestly, sir, it's not, I can do better."
He smiled and said "well, at least your honest!"
I smiled back and promised him that next time I would make him the world's best latte. Oh yea, I went there, the worlds best latte.
He picked up his drink, smiled again, "OK" he said, "next time!"
Sure enough, the next time he came in he walked up to the counter and ordered a venti nonfat latte. I wasn't looking at first but then I overheard him say "I hear she makes the world's best lattes!" I looked up, saw him smile, and I simply replied "you got it!"
Now, not to toot my own horn, but TOOT TOOT! It was seriously the best latte I have ever made. I realize that people not in the coffee business can easily brush this off thinking all lattes are the same... espresso and milk, but it's not true. I never thought I would become such an "expert," or some might say "snob," but there is so much more to a latte.
First, you have to get the timing of the shots just right so they're not too bitter. You have steam the milk (before pulling the shots) so it creates the most perfect foam, making it so smooth it doesn't even look as if it's been steamed... not a single bubble. Then when you pour, hold the foam back with a spoon and tilt the cup sideways so as not to create more bubbles from the milk hitting the espresso too hard. The combination of the milk and espresso should look golden brown, and then top it off with the perfect white foam. I always take the spoon and make a swirl with it, it's ascetically pleasing to the eye.
I proudly called out John's drink and left the lid off so that he could see it when he came up to the counter. He smiled real big, "well would ya look at that! WOW... that is beautiful!" I lidded the cup, brushed my shoulders off a bit and replied, "yea, I was pretty excited about it." He took the lid back off, looked at it again and said "I'm excited to drink it!"
John came back in this morning, covered in rain, but smiling big. He saw me behind the counter and said "I'll have the world's best venti nonfat latte!"
"Done!" I said, and began to rinse out my pitcher.
After I finished, I called out the world's best venti nonfat latte and held the cup out for John to see... "OH WOW, that is BEAUTIFUL! MAN!! We should start taking pictures of all the lattes you make and hang them up over there on the wall!"
I laughed out loud, secretly thinking to myself what a great idea that was. We talked for a little bit longer before he headed back out into the rain.
Only shortly after John did the cranky people start coming in... one woman literally scolded me because it was always so crowded and there was never anywhere to sit every time she came in. "Can't you kick people out?" She asked frantically. She really frustrated me and I was so prepared to come home and write about all the crazy things she said, but just now after writing about John, I don't feel the need to focus on her negativity.
Sometimes it so easy just to grab on to that which is negative that we often forget the positive... I do... a lot. So today I'm going to chose instead to be thankful for people like John instead of complain about the many other people who bring me down (with their own complaining). Its people like John who should be recognized for their attitude on life and the way they treat others instead of those people who can cause the most drama or make the biggest scene.
And though I'm not necessarily saying we should put up with people who bring us down or make us feel less than, I am saying that it is amazing how much your perspective can change when you choose what to focus your attention on... the good or the bad.
We may not be able to help what other people do to us, but we can chose how to react to it.
Thank you, John, for your positivity, the sparkle in your eye and your appreciation for something as small as a venti nonfat latte.
I'm working on this just for you...
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