I’m a lover of all things coffee, a diehard Americano enthusiast and an absolute caffeine addict. Nobody I knew was surprised when I became a barista last summer and continued it into this summer, too. I work at a local coffee shop in my hometown in Michigan, and it’s the best job I’ve had yet. The highlight of my job, besides the unlimited free coffee that fuels my addiction, is that I’ve learned many life lessons from both customers and coworkers.
People love to talk, and they love to feel heard. And honestly, I love to listen. Conversing with regulars and meeting new people is more fulfilling than I realized. I’ve met all sorts of customers that have taught me all sorts of things. And, yes, even the cranky customers have taught me something, if only that someone’s mood can improve drastically once you give them coffee.
Being an introvert at heart, it’s taken me a good part of my college years to crack out of my shell and talk to people more. And now, it’s literally all I want to do. People are so interesting once you get them talking. My conversational skills have peaked, driven by my desire to know others' stories and thoughts — even if it’s just how they feel about the weather. Conversations range from niceties to drama debriefs to venting about hard moments in life. As I steep the milk and pour it into a cup, customers talk about their plans for the weekend — or their lack of plans — and how they feel about it all. It’s a brief interaction, lasting three minutes maximum, but it leaves them feeling lighter and me feeling more insightful.
Sometimes I’m awkward; sometimes other people are awkward. Some people are easy to converse with, some aren’t, and some don’t want to talk to me and would rather point to their order while they're talking on the phone.
People’s mannerisms may not be constant, but one thing is: coffee brings people together. It’s something I’ve seen, learned and felt. Coffee is a universal drink, consumed all around the world in all different ways, and people can bond over the love of the beverage alone. Oftentimes, people will meet up with longtime friends over lattes and croissants. They exchange kind words or gifts and delve into conversations involving life updates, recent tragedies and dreams. People will come to the coffee shop for work meetings, to get away from the office and converse in a more casual setting. I have seen people run into old acquaintances or family members, delighted at the surprise, and excitedly converse as their orders are made.
I have also learned drinking a cup of coffee in the morning can be an act of self-love. Carving some time out of a busy morning or week to order a beverage for yourself helps get you through the day. It’s a daily routine rooted in the desire to do something nice for yourself in the morning. I love nothing more than to see people’s faces light up when they grab their lattes or black coffees from the counter, knowing their day was made instantly better just from a cup. Equating coffee to self-love may sound corny, but as a coffee devotee, romanticizing the morning cup of joe is something I do perpetually. If a specialty latte is what gets you out of bed in the morning, then I find treating yourself to it as the best form of self-love.
I have regulars who order the same thing every day, once-a-week regulars who always order something different or new customers who order unexpected things that turn out to be some of my favorite drinks — if you haven’t tried matcha lemonade yet, this is your sign.
But honestly, I love the way everybody is unique, ranging from their coffee orders to their mannerisms to their life stories. I find it inspiring, and it keeps me on my toes wondering who will walk in the door next.
I have a customer who works next door and orders a double shot of espresso, but on rough days, he orders a quad. We exchange book recommendations and share what we’re currently reading. There is a woman who makes flower arrangements. She places an arrangement on our counter in hopes people will notice, and they do. She waters the arrangement as I make her flower-flavored latte and ask her about her aspirations. A regular smiles as he orders his coffee, laughs at a joke I made, then solemnly shares about a funeral he recently attended for an old friend. People I recognize from high school come in, and we talk about where we’re at in life now and how fast time flies after high school. Friends visit me, and I hug them over the register, then surprise them with a drink I think they'll like.
Despite seeing some regulars every day, I feel I know so much and yet nothing at all about them. It is a strange form of intimacy to be out around town, seeing people from the coffee shop and knowing exactly how they take their coffee in the morning yet never having learned their name. I have come to understand the beauty of feeling connected to others even if it’s in an unconventional sense. I know the details of many people's lives in my community despite never having been properly introduced to them.
Since truly diving into the world of coffee, I feel more connected and I feel less alone. I know more kinds of people than I could’ve ever hoped to, and there’s not many other jobs in which I’d get this kind of experience. As a writer and a reader, I’ve found there’s nothing more I want than to hear everyone's stories. I want people to feel a little less alone in the world even if it’s just a three-minute conversation we have over the whirring of coffee being brewed.
Caitlyn Kulczycki is a sophomore studying media advertising with minors in psychology and creative writing.
