twenty-three

I just returned for a brief walk down to my local Starbucks, after participating in this year’s Coffee Break. Starbucks is offering free 12 oz drip coffee to "guests" from 10-12 today, so if you read this in the next few minutes, run…run fast, to your local shop and grab a cup.

I must say, I think I fulfilled Starbucks’ goal for the experience by taking a few minutes to sip my coffee and enjoy a bit of time catching my breath and meeting with a friend. I met my old office mate Daniel at the downtown Bellingham store (we raced from our offices which are roughly equidistant from the shop). The little break gave us the opportunity to catch up a bit, from talking about my upcoming mission trip to Vancouver, to the latest Logos Bible Software happenings. I even had the chance to drop him a couple of my new business cards for my web design business. So, if Starbucks’ goal is to get people into their stores, experiencing the "third place" atmosphere, and trying some coffee, I think they got me.

The whole idea of taking a break to sip some coffee, meet a friend, and catch up is so valuable, especially in the type of world I find myself in. It’s easy to run at such a fast pace, forgetting to breath a bit and enjoy a conversation. I think that’s why I enjoy meeting with students during the day so much. I get a chance to slow down and hear what’s going on in their lives, as well as share about my own life, and just enjoy the opportunity to support and live in community. I think these little breaks are also incredibly important in the business world, for the same reasons, and also because they allow you to maintain professional, working relationships and keep in touch. We can’t isolate ourselves and never engage each other if we want to do anything, professionally, relationally, or otherwise.

So, thanks Starbucks, I’m sure you’re making a ton of money today on all the extra stuff people buy when they come to the stores. And you’re probably winning some new customers, which is also beneficial. Please remember to honor your customers by giving them quality, responsibly funded coffee, and a place to enjoy community and rest in our hectic world.

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