You Always Deserve a $6 Cup of Coffee

You hold the key to happiness in your hand.

Photo by Fahmi Fakhrudin on Unsplash

I took on an internship at a tech startup during my senior year of college.

I didn’t have any business working at a tech company, but I needed to log 120 internship hours to graduate. What a deal, right?

I interviewed in a building about 20 minutes from campus, and in my haste, I accepted the position on the spot.

For 13 weeks, I got a taste of the post-grad work life. And like a real working adult, I was always rushing to get to work on time.

I wasn’t as put together as I am now.

Most days during my commute, I noticed the most absurd drive-thru line at the Starbucks next to the office.

“Why don’t these people make their coffee at home,” I thought as I pulled into the parking lot just shy of on time.

I didn’t understand how people had time to wait in line for 15–20 minutes for a cup of coffee when they could save time and money by brewing it at home.

I thought like this until I became a 9–5 workday zombie myself.

Now, I appreciate the experience of walking to another location for a coffee that’s only slightly better than the one I make at home. It’s not about the coffee but what…