learning new things

My Year at Starbucks and Clarity

When I walked up to my neighborhood Starbucks, the thought that was in my mind at the time was curious about my little town Los Altos in the heart of Silicon Valley. I felt like an outsider, a foreign body, not knowing anyone. Oddly enough, when I walked into that store, I had a sensation I couldn't point out. I remember someone behind me asking me, "What is that Third Place?" I honestly did not know what it meant, but I thought it was a fundraiser or some initiative. I did not know, though, that it was something bigger than myself. I was about to embark on that journey to find out.

When I moved to the Bay Area, a storyline was playing in my mind. "I don't know anyone in this town, and I don't belong." I looked around; I felt like I did not get any eye contact from anyone when we walked around in the neighborhood. I also heard from the fellow locals in the dog park that “people are not friendly here,” so I was starting to wonder if this idea was true, that no one was friendly or that there is something wrong with me, or maybe I looked unapproachable, always being in black. This went on for months; I couldn't count how long. Until a friend invited us to go on a walk to the nearest coffee shop, and Finnegan helped me discover the little Starbucks Rancho store because of his familiarity with the "pup cup."

I worked as a knowledge professional in the learning and development, higher ed, tech space, public sector, having devoted my time in a large state university in the heart of an agriculture town in Ohio. So the idea of working at a coffee shop, let alone a mega-corporation like Starbucks, was beyond me. Thoughts visited my head, both internally and externally. I had to grabble with specific recurring thoughts because some ideas made me feel somewhat inadequate and low.

This is a brief story of a journey with a meditation app. Years ago, I found myself on a plane to India, with the idea that I would have a romantic moment with my boyfriend at the time. He gave me a Valentine's; he was always good at doing things like gift-giving and saying the "right" things to pump me up. When I arrived, my world turned upside down. All my plans of having a romantic adventure was shattered into pieces on the floor. We got separated. I couldn't hang out with him. We were in a silent retreat, so of course, this was going to be definite hell. I could not do anything I wanted or expected. Fast forward thru the living hell, I came out of the retreat, there was something inside me that shifted, and meditation became part of my life. I became a volunteer to the world around me; even today, I type these words.

This past year was beyond what I imaged and expected. From my experience, working at Starbucks is a joyful opportunity; realizing that there is no separation between working at a university from being a learning professional or a cafe attendant crafting espresso drinks. In this coffee shop, it is a beautiful living organism of wonderful people caring for others. I discovered the joy and meaning of the “Third Place.” I learned about measuring success beyond metrics and brand identity, embracing diversity and inclusiveness, and being with grace - something bigger than ourselves. I learned more about iterations' beauty to ensure our customers' safety and health during this global health disruption. I learned the importance of observation and being present to discover pain points in our users our customers, including our fellow baristas. I am thrilled to experience that sprints exist while warming food and serving beverages. I learned about safety, and melding customer service. Working at Starbucks is a frontline customer success story. It is a creative endeavour more than I can ever imagine, sparking ideas in my mind during my breaks to meditate. Seeing people, our customers, come in and return telling us how they feel are powerful lessons where we constantly evolved, adapted, and made things familiar, convenient, and safe. What an empowering tale of trust, retention, honouring values, embracing things as they are, focusing on human-centred design, relationship building, and connecting with our community. It is a story of public health and hygiene, cultivating respect for others by wearing our masks to protect people from our "goo," the list is endless. So I thank my lucky stars for being the place where I needed to be. I wanted to be. Being open and allowing that anything is possible. It is a playground for kindness and compassion. Hope. Consider me an optimist.

There is no one way to a career or journey. It is a remarkable gift to be alive and breathing, walking, being a mother to my beloved Finn, and working at a humble little coffee shop that is also a titan. This time has also been a great lesson on watching pride and not being attached to the idea of being a certain way. There is a balance. There will be moments where shame projected by external forces and other uncomfortable thoughts and ideas will want to hang out and play with our minds. “Is this our intelligence going against us?” This is a window. We have a choice to be blissful. I am fortunate and privileged to be reminded of this every day. Some incredible teachers and dreamers started something extraordinary. An opportunity was created, and now I am listening to it every day.

I am so happy and thankful for this space and time.

All the things from wise teachers before us and at present moments.

Be open.

Be kind to your mind.

Everything is possible. “Being human is super.” Doubt is an opportunity.

So many opportunities.

It is limitless.

Wishing whoever finds this, love, health, and happiness wherever you are. xo

Skepticism - Is it a Path to Spaciousness

Since the onset of COVID-19, my dog Finnegan faced a bit of a skin ailment right near his left eye these past few months. I wasn’t sure what caused it, but it suddenly appeared the following day after a blissful moment rolling on newly cut grass walking as we were exploring our neighborhood in March right before the lockdown. A spot got punctured into a little pimple, and as I watched it grow and get angry, I began to worry about the ramifications if I didn’t address the cause. With COVID-19, I was limited to sitting in the parking lot while Finnegan was seen by the veterinarian inside. I talked to several animal doctors, all of whom suggested that Finn gets surgery on his right eye and left. I was open to suggestions, but when I heard that there is no guarantee it wouldn’t return, I had to step back whether surgery was the right course of action. When we lived in Columbus, we were fortunate to have a veterinarian who also practiced holistic medicine, so it was common for Finn to get acupuncture treatments. I’ll save this for another post another day.

I learned more than what I had ever imagined. I learned that we could heal with only one remedy. This journey was to uncover layers of resistance to patience, observation, pausing, giving love, waiting, and waiting and waiting. That angry wound that was bleeding and swelling in pain is gone and has new growth of hair. The skeptic in me was the resistant one. Letting go of fear and worry, I opened myself to learning something new, Homeopathy. It happened one day, when someone said, “what happened to his eye?” many times walking in the neighborhood! One when it was a red pimple; the second time was when the cyst was in its stages of oozing and anger, so big that it almost covered his eye, the third when the cyst was shrinking, and the fourth was when it was finally gone. The neighbors couldn't believe it; even a retired veterinarian surgeon couldn’t believe what he saw.

Homeopathy is being in a meditative state. Things show up, and I learned to let go of reacting and seeking results. Allowing the space to be. The body is incredible. Trust the system to heal itself. Dogs know more than we think.

The discovery of finding the remedy that healed Finn’s eye blows my mind.

I hope this inspires you to explore homeopathy to take care of your furry companions. Much love xo

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