I cannot lie.

In many ways, I am a very simple person.  I have very clear likes and dislikes.

I very much like soy chai lattes from Starbucks.  They are the way I prefer to begin my day, they are a calming tonic when the stress feels like it’s too much, they are a warmth when life feels lonely and cold.  I know it sounds ridiculous and overly romantic, but I seriously love.those.drinks.

My amazing husband has been encouraging me for years to quit my habit.  Sometimes he’s supportive in a positive way (have as many as you want … I know you love them, have them!…– this strategy worked when we first met and I was failing at quitting smoking; he told me it was okay for me to smoke, and I quit cold turkey and have never gone back –) and sometimes he is supportive in a realistic way (babe, you will feel better if you don’t drink so much sugar and you know that …. think of how much money we will save in a week, let alone a year! — which he knows very much appeals to me because I love saving money –). And it intermittently works.  Last year I didn’t have Starbucks for nearly seven months.  But I inevitably went back.  I always do. I justify it by saying that of all the vices in the world, of all the things someone with an addictive personality could get hooked on, soy chai lattes really aren’t that bad.

But they kinda are.  And I kinda know it.

And — there again — I don’t really care.  (Something i should remember when I’m being wildly judge-y about people with drug problems).  

But here’s my side of the story — my dark, hidden love of what I call happiness in a cup.  Life can be hard.  It can beat you down, it can tell you you’re worthless, you’re stupid, you’re failing.  And it’s easy to get caught up in that — the bad stuff seems to come with much more regularity than the good stuff ~ or, more to the point, it’s easier to focus on the hardships than find the blessings.

So to have something — a simple something, an easy to find something, a relatively inexpensive something, a legal and undamaging something — that without fail (unless made incorrectly) brings unbridled joy to your life — even if it’s only for the few moments it takes you to drink it –why would you ever banish that thing?

Anyway, after waking up halfway through the night due to sheer cold (I was shaking under four blankets and wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt) I decided I was going to begin this day with some Chai.  And it was wonderful.  I arrived at my local shop, all the baristas (minus the angry one who always pretends not to know me) greeted me by name, knew my drink, asked how my weekend was going.  It was such a friendly way to begin the day.  That’s the other priceless thing — the “Cheers” feeling for lack of a more descriptive word.  The idea that everyone knows your name.  And on lonely days — days when my husby is far away, and the hours stretch out before me — it feels nice to have someone ask me how I’m doing (even if it’s just a superficial, coffee shop type of ask).

So — there it is.  My love of Starbucks in black and white.  Happy Sunday world!  I hope yours started with some happiness in a cup, as well.

xoxo