Coffee clemency

I had no less than five smile-worthy events occur today; and man, a few of them were awesome!  But I think this one was the “best”, so it’s the one I’m choosing to share.  Here we go:

Over my lunch hour, I went to the nearby coffee store for a beverage. (Medium decaf Americano in a large cup, extra hot water, a little room.  I’m annoying, I know.)   The barista made my drink incorrectly (she didn’t make it decaf; and I am *very* caffeine sensitive).  She apologized.  I wasn’t feeling great today anyway (I was tired from not sleeping well, and my throat was a little sore from this cold that I’m getting over, and honestly, I was just kind of annoyed for no good ‘reason’ today – I was just in a peevish mood); but I sucked it up, and didn’t make a big deal out of it.  I smiled at her (albeit weakly, but still, it was a smile), and said, “It’s okay”.  I then waited.  A few minutes later, I had the correct drink in hand.

I turned to the nearby condiment counter, and “doctored” up the beverage.  (For a medium drink, I add 3 Splenda packets, and a splash of cream.  {For a small beverage, I add 2 Splenda packets.})  Having successfully transformed the drink into a cup of goodness, I turned around 180 degrees, took a step – and ran right into a woman waiting for her beverage.

I had a lid on my drink (thank goodness!), but coffee still splashed out the little sipping hole – and directly on to her bag.  I inhaled sharply, then said in a very apologetic tone, “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!  I’m so sorry!”  I turned back to the condiment counter, grabbed a handful of paper napkins, and began wiping the woman’s bag.  As I mopped up rogue coffee, I again repeated, “I am so sorry!  I am SO sorry!”

The woman looked at her bag, then looked at me, then smiled.  She said, “Oh hon, don’t worry about it.  This is life; we just wipe it off, clean it up, and move on.  It’s all good, girlfriend.”

And with that, she shook any remaining coffee off of her bag, picked up her beverage from the barista, gave me a wink, and walked out the door.

Wow.  Talk about putting some perspective into my crappy attitude.  I was deeply appreciative of her genuine compassion; her response completely snapped me out of my funk, and immediately turned me around.

I then smiled at every single person I saw the rest of the day.

Anonymous espresso emissary, thank you.

Stef