I Just Got a Free $5 Drink at Starbucks
Sometimes, bad things happen.
Sometimes, good things happen.
A good thing just happened to me.
I’m at Starbucks. I come on my lunch break and have 45 mins to write, play, work on side projects. Sometimes I buy a drink, but most days I don’t. I just come here to take advantage of free WiFi and coffee vibes. Oh, and it’s nice to get out of the office for a bit and feel that sense of, you know, freedom.
So today I’m here just chillin’ when a lady behind the Starbucks counter comes up and screams “I’ve got a free Irish Cream Cold Brew for whoever wants it!” After making eye-contact with a girl across the way (who also did not have a beverage in front of her), I jumped up and claimed the venti drink. Given I was closest to the counter and waited a solid 5 seconds before making a move, I didn’t feel bad about it.
Honestly, it felt right. Like it was supposed to happen.
And it made me think to myself: “Yo, a good thing just happened to you dude. You got lucky. The universe shifted in your way.”
Even though it’s just a $5 coffee, I feel blessed.
I lost a really close friend on Christmas… she passed away in her sleep. Something about getting this free drink at Starbucks overwhelms me with gratitude. Not only am I lucky enough to be in the right place, at the right time, but I’m also lucky enough to be here — here as in on this Earth, smelling, seeing, breathing, experiencing life as a healthy, living, human being.
I don’t know.
I just have a new appreciation for simple things lately.
Even as I write this (at Starbucks), more cool, joyous things are happening.
I just watched a lady get up from her seat and as she’s heading for the exit, she stops and says this to a mother of two: “Sorry to interrupt, I just have to tell you this, you are so beautiful.” Then she turns and walks out.
Like, WHAT THE HECK.
There’s so much good in the world man. Like so much. Despite all the crap you see and hear about, I believe people are mostly good. Good things happen everyday and people have the capacity to spread peace, love, and happieness even in small doses. And if you’re here capable of experiencing all the weird, little intricacies and complexities of life, you are in a beautiful position.
Remember that.
