I’m a barista now. This has been on my bucket list for a while. It’s a dream job actually. I get to make coffee all day. And believe this — I make every cup of coffee with love. It makes a difference!

In a year and a half, my life has moved by so quickly. I’ve moved a few times. I’ve had friends come and go. I’ve had different jobs and internships in that time. So much has happened between now and then. It all makes this story so good.

This blog is partially inspired by a friend of mine, and somebody who I work with at The Coffee Shop. I always ask permission to use somebody’s name in a blog, but since I didn’t decide to include her in this one until an hour ago, I’ll use a pseudonym. Today at work, we were having this discussion about writing. We both write a journal and I began telling her about Nirvana Blogs. I told Kendall that I’d be writing a blog after work which was my one real goal for today. Then, I didn’t know what I’d be writing about, but see now I’m writing about that very conversation.

I work with four awesome girls at The Coffee Shop. Kendall is who I worked with today. Yeah, I feel a bit the odd one out being the only man at the shop and the newest employee also. I grew up with three sisters, thank God, I think I know how to be around female presence. Here’s my favorite part about being a barista. The smells. There are so many good smells and aromas. I like to smell everything – the coffee ground, freshly opened bags with a myriad of coffee aroma, the espresso, and all the flavors of tea. It’s a blessing! I love the smell of coffee and I love the flavor, so i’m over the top to be working around so many delicious smells. I come home, and I smell espresso on my clothing. It’s the best! My favorite drink lately is our Dirty Chai Latte. I’m sipping on it right now actually.

Kendall has been kind enough to show me patience as far as making coffee goes. Our shop doesn’t make cheap coffee. Every single barista at this shop applies ample knowledge and careful detail to every single drink that we make. So today, Kendall and I were talking about the learning curve. Just like most things, there is a learning curve. I remember going through the same process when I learned to drive the Zamboni years ago. You fuck up maybe a few times, but from each mistake, you learn exactly how it’s done.

I can say this, I have a deeper appreciation for all the world’s baristas. This reminds me of a brand name and slogan that my friend Swayzee coined, “Love Your Barista.” Yeah, he sells merch with that exact message. Do that.

Lately I’ve done fewer life updates on my blog, but I like to drop updates every now and then. This blog is for that. Here’s what else is going on. I’m moving into a new place next month. I actually couldn’t be more excited. It’s a more urban part of town IMHO.

I’m grateful for all of this. My gratitude is where my joy comes from. Because my life could be so much worse. And it has been worse. I only know how to do my best. The rest is up to the source of creation, and that’s all I know. Stay blessed!

Sat Nam

Erik H.