OPINION: My Starbucks adventures

Speaking of which, one of my sister’s favorite discoveries was that when she had the family dog with her at the Starbucks drive-through window, she would be offered a “puppy-whip” treat for the dog. Soon we all had to remember not to say the word “Starbucks” in front of the dog unless we were planning to take her there right away, because she would start leaping about and heading for the car. She even came to recognize the Starbucks logo. Once, when we stole off to Starbucks without her, she found the evidence and confronted us with it, fishing one of our Starbucks paper coffee-cups out of the trash and laying it at our feet, her eyes dark with reproach.

At some point, and without realizing it, I became the same way. My sister does a “Starbucks run” pretty much immediately after opening her eyes in the morning, and anyone else who’s up at that time gets to put in their order. I reached the point where whenever I missed this form of reveille, I could be heard saying, “What! You went to Starbucks already? And you didn’t bring me anything?” Just like the dog.

But my own adventures with Starbucks didn’t really begin until our parents died. I had retired to be able to spend more time with them, and I felt suddenly cut adrift. There was nowhere I was supposed to be. I had plenty to do – two houses to maintain, and all the paperwork of loss and sorrow – but that was pretty solitary work, and infused with sadness. I started going out to Starbucks every day, where the lively, quirky, highly individual staff members were happy to trade quips and seemed to take a personal interest in their customers.

At Christmas that first year, I took a small gift to the manager, who had been so much fun to get to know, and was astonished to find that she had one for me, too! She’s now managing another Starbucks, and when I happened by there not long ago, she went behind the counter and made my favorite drink from memory! (A grande decaf sugar-free caramel soy latte. Try remembering that for a year and a half!)

Starbucks is named for the first mate in “Moby Dick,” and was supposed to evoke the feeling of adventure on the high seas. But for me it has come to signify the warmth of “Cheers,” and the truth that we all want someplace bright and clean to go to, where the atmosphere is friendly and everybody knows our name.

Susan Harper is retired, lives in Commerce and volunteers with the Commerce Public Library and the Jackson County Literacy Program.