BLOG ENTRY 028: My Life as a Barista
March 18, 2024, I celebrated my second year as a barista at Little Light Coffee Co.
It feels so overwhelming how much my life has changed since then. My first blog here was all about I landed my job there. The only thing that pops in my head is ‘radical growth.’ because if there’s one theme in my life that follows me is that there’s always an opportunity to transform. Before I get into what I have personally learned, I have some thanking to do.
To my boss, Sophia, (grab some tissues before you begin reading this, you will need them.) thank you for choosing me. Now we can sit and laugh of how drastically different I was to the girl you know currently. I was shy and this was my first job I had besides being a caretaker for my younger sister. You saw more than what I was struggling with and helped me more than you can imagine. To me, you’re not only my boss, but like an older sister. You care so deeply for your business that it inspires me in every passion I have for myself. I am so blessed to be able to be a part of a dream in the making and I hope there are more dreams you’ve created that you give light to (pun indented) and get to witness for yourself. I will always be better as a person in general because of you, for you accept me just as I am.
To my coworkers, I know we may not be super close, and that’s perfectly okay! You have probably seen my highs and lows through every transition we go through together. I love learning about you as much as you learn about me. I hope that I can be a light for your lives too. I walk in with a smile on my face and help as much as I can. Our conversations and laughter will be my medicine for every shift. I am learning the dynamic and the lesson that we don’t have to be super close outside of work to be considered friends. I want you girls to know that each of you are so special to me and though you guys are living your best lives outside of the shop, which I know is the goal in the first place. I really do hope that I in some way, have become a constant rock that you can lean on. Your hard work and love for what you do in the shop is so special. Your efforts don’t go unnoticed, and I know that the future is bright for you outside of the shop. I treasure every moment I have with you.
To the customers, you may not find out about this, or maybe you will. You are the ones who don’t have a clue how much it means to me. Especially in the beginning when I was still learning your names and your usual order. I was so shy and soft spoken and now, I ask your plans for the weekend and how you’ve been. I love the variations of conversations I can have for a small frame of time. It’s almost sometimes as if I play therapist and not customer service, where I listen to the thoughts playing in your mind and I have the ease of making the drink that gets you through the day. I’m glad to celebrate and support you through every stage of life to new moms and getting ready to move, to wedding and after-grad plans. I know you would do the same for me. I enjoy hearing the hushed conversations from the other side of the bar (trust me, I can’t hear the whole thing. You would think my ears would be sharper since I have glasses but nope. I would feel horrible ease-dropping to the whole conversation honestly.) What I hope you get from this is that I enjoy the relationships I have with you guys and I’m glad to serve you that helps you move on to the rest of your day.
Now, to what I have learned about myself.
I know that my creativity has only expanded for the vastness of each menu and for my personal life. I have learned to do things that I don’t always enjoy or honestly don’t want to do but they push my comforts just a little more than the last. I am constantly learning how much I am capable of. I can move on from things that may hurt me for only a moment instead of making those things for the worse. As someone who is learning about business in school, I love learning the ins and out of running a coffee shop. Who knows, maybe it’s in the cards for the future. I love trying drinks that excite me like rose and cardamom (I’m not sure of them together) and the coffee world is always changing to new and fun heights. I am learning how to hold others accountable and how I can be more effective with my leadership skills. I always get nervous to meet the new hires, and I don’t know if that’ll go away. The shop is like my second home. I am learning how to say no and what decisions I can make that will be effective. I will make some not-so-great ones but that’s how I learn. My confidence is still growing. I am learning the ropes of managing the social media account and the art of balancing the other accounts too. Now, I am currently learning how to collaborate because I have always chosen to teach myself what I am passionate about. I learned how to ask for help and how my stubbornness has shown. Communication is key because I should no longer assume if someone else has the answer. If you would’ve told me when I first started that I would be promoted to be the marketing manager and be the example of the culture at the shop, I would’ve looked at you like you had two heads. I am learning how to separate myself from the shop so that I have an identity than just being a barista. I know that was a dream I worked towards, but now, I know that there is more to me than my knowledge and experience at the coffee shop. I can’t wait to see what the next year takes me and the shop. You have only reached the beginning.
Thanks for reading, I know I have been M.I.A. for who knows how long but I am currently on spring break and found the lost motivation to sit down and reflect on my job. After this, I am going to brainstorm some new blog ideas. I haven’t forgotten about you.
Until next time!
