I worked my last shift at Starbucks — at least for now — on January 23. My sweet co-workers bought me a small (gluten free) cake and a card filled with kind messages and well wishes. I did not expect any of it! Truly! And I was very touched by the gesture.
I’ve always liked working there, always found such joy in making a latte, chatting with regulars, bonding with co-workers over mutual experiences — even warming up food was fun! I don’t know if my time there is officially over, but even if it’s not, I’ll miss it for this season as I step into an exciting new role.
Did I mention I got an internship with D Magazine? The magazine I applied to intern with in the summer of 2022? The internship I interviewed for but didn’t receive and was sorely bummed about?
That internship?
Well, I did!!! Thank you, Jesus!
I’m working as an editorial intern for D Home and D Weddings — two offshoots of the main magazine. From the moment I received a yes, I’d been nothing but excited and ready to start. I officially began on January 24, and this past Monday, I worked my first in-person day at their downtown office! I feel like I’m living out my childhood “big city girl” fantasy. It’s been so much fun, and I cannot wait to see all this position has in store!
Amidst all the excitement, however, I’ve also found myself in a pensive mood throughout the weeks. With such a sentimental goodbye from my friends at Starbucks, thoughts about life and change and contentment and comfort zones keep bubbling to the surface. I took to my journal to reflect, and here’s a bit of what I wrote down (and more).
There were multiple occasions during my time at Starbucks in which I marveled at the immense effort that went into running that little shop. We are just one department of an entire grocery store, yet running the shop each day is an entire operation.
Along with making drinks and taking orders, we had to restock cups/lids/milks/syrups/beans, clean up inevitable messes, take out the trash, run to the freezer to grab pastries and sandwiches for the next day, wash dishes, unload the truck, put in orders, take inventory, make next week’s schedule, and on it goes.
If my little corner of Market Street takes all that, I would often think, how does anything ever get done anywhere? So many tasks, so many minuscule boxes to check. When I think of all the businesses out there, I’m amazed that there are enough people in the world to run them all.
The underlying factor to my curious amazement regarding commerce and our world population, I believe, is the incredible depth within each individual — a depth we don’t often think about and can never truly know. We could spend years exploring the mind and heart of a single person and still fall short of really knowing them.
If that statement is true, think of the hundreds of people we encounter throughout our weeks. How much is below that passing glance or causal greeting? Similar to my musings in Every Nook & Cranny, people are just as deep, tall, vast, and wide as deserts, canyons, oceans, and forests.
Though I often fall victim to longing — whether for the charm of a European city, the beauty of a rugged coastline, or the awe-inspiring wonder of a mountain — I’ve learned that people are just as fascinating. My little corner at the grocery store, in all its mundane, suburban glory, holds as much depth as Paris, Big Sur, and the Rocky Mountains. My job at Starbucks has been a testament to that.
Never did I anticipate uttering such thoughts. But God has been teaching me that the work of His creation in mankind is just as exceptional as His many sunrises.
So, cheers to the depth of humanity, my friends. May our profound intricacies be reason to stop and marvel at how richly our God has made us.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14
Pursuing Peace 