I was always one of those who was skeptical of people who went to Starbucks. I thought that more than anything, they visited the coffeehouse to be a part of the lavish display of wealth. Last year my opinion changed drastically.
My mother was back to working full time after a sabbatical of around 4 years and it was my 12th. I was still figuring out as to what I wanted to do in the near future and often would feel lonely at home as both my parents are working. I was falling prey to the games my mind was playing on me and knew that I had to look for a solution. I realised that I needed a change of scene. During the dark and dingy month of December being alone at home can get depressing. The closest place I could go to and study was Starbucks. Very often I had seen people sit there and work so I decided to give it a try. I am going to be blatantly honest when I say that the food and coffee there is not upto my liking but the vibe of the place drew me in. I would order a small green tea and sip on it for hours sometimes and go on with my work. When I would get bored, I would look up and observe all that was happening around me. It served as a rendezvous for lovers, as a spot to chill with friends and many a times a place where people held official meetings. Sometimes I would see familiar faces but they were no more than distant acquaintances. They would recognise me and I would wonder what they thought of me. Maybe they held the same opinions I had earlier, " she's just here to boast about her visit to this place," but frankly I wasn't disturbed by this. I knew that I had the trust of my mother, at times she would encourage me to go because she knew I was trying to find a solution to my problem and not gallivanting. Slowly, I got better and became a regular. The place began to feel familiar like the pair of jeans you always resort to on a lazy day. Maybe I hadn't fully recovered but the process is slow. It was the first step on the stairway to growth. This routine also made me more independent, confident and most importantly enabled me to emerge out of my shell. So Thank you Starbucks for not kicking me out and saving my life!
My mother was back to working full time after a sabbatical of around 4 years and it was my 12th. I was still figuring out as to what I wanted to do in the near future and often would feel lonely at home as both my parents are working. I was falling prey to the games my mind was playing on me and knew that I had to look for a solution. I realised that I needed a change of scene. During the dark and dingy month of December being alone at home can get depressing. The closest place I could go to and study was Starbucks. Very often I had seen people sit there and work so I decided to give it a try. I am going to be blatantly honest when I say that the food and coffee there is not upto my liking but the vibe of the place drew me in. I would order a small green tea and sip on it for hours sometimes and go on with my work. When I would get bored, I would look up and observe all that was happening around me. It served as a rendezvous for lovers, as a spot to chill with friends and many a times a place where people held official meetings. Sometimes I would see familiar faces but they were no more than distant acquaintances. They would recognise me and I would wonder what they thought of me. Maybe they held the same opinions I had earlier, " she's just here to boast about her visit to this place," but frankly I wasn't disturbed by this. I knew that I had the trust of my mother, at times she would encourage me to go because she knew I was trying to find a solution to my problem and not gallivanting. Slowly, I got better and became a regular. The place began to feel familiar like the pair of jeans you always resort to on a lazy day. Maybe I hadn't fully recovered but the process is slow. It was the first step on the stairway to growth. This routine also made me more independent, confident and most importantly enabled me to emerge out of my shell. So Thank you Starbucks for not kicking me out and saving my life!
Nice Ananya.. am happy to see that you took your well-being in your own hands and also that you expressed gratitude when something helped you.. both very crucial for getting into a good mind space...Hope to keep reading more from you ..
ReplyDeleteI also don't like the coffee there. And I can relate to the part where we all have ordered the cheapest thing and sat with it for hours just to prolong one's stay there,for whatever reason. I am glad that it provided you the answers you were looking for :)
ReplyDeleteEveryone needs a go to place .......between home and work ...(study in your case)....and we know the creative work that emerged from there and more
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