Starbucks, Trump, Veterans, Christmas, Confused

It's all getting a bit confusing.

Donald Trump is calling for us to boycott Starbucks because they are fighting a war on Christmas, but today they are offering free coffee to veterans, which has nothing to do with Christmas but it does seem like something Donald Trump would support, although he might not know about this generous offer because of course he is boycotting Starbucks as they are destroying Christmas.

And then I found out that the Catholic schools were open today which confused me terribly because, as I understand it, the Christian Right really supports the veterans, or at least that's what I've been told, but they were in school, when my children, who attend a public school in a liberal metro area, were not, in honor of Veterans Day.

There's more. Because I work for a public school system that was closed in honor of Veteran's Day I was free to stop in at Starbucks, despite the grim warnings of Donald Trump. And because I am a veteran of parenthood and not much more I had to buy my tea, which worked out well as I also bought this cup, which says JOY, for only $2.00, and I get a deal on refills going forward. So it does seem that Christmas has returned to Starbucks, but for a minimal price.

Still confused.

Maybe It Was All About the Pike Place Roast

Maybe the ceiling of her bathroom at home was leaking or maybe she had just hung up the phone with her mother ending a particularly combative call, but when the woman in front of me at Starbucks was told that they were out of the Pike Place Roast, at least for now, she just snapped. They had the Holiday Blend and the Blonde Roast but no Pike Place; would she like to try one of the others?

She did not, nor did she care to hear any explanation as to why they had none of her favorite coffee available. Maybe this had been a really bad day, maybe she had been dreaming of a grande Pike Place all morning or maybe she was just a rotten person but for reasons unknown she chose to take her frustration out on the barista who was exceedingly gracious when faced with the wrath of this coffee displeased woman. She left, or actually she stormed out, choosing to go without rather than try another option.

Maybe I had just spent the past hour trying to pay my mother's phone bill from 500 miles away, which proved to be insanely difficult given that I was trying to actually give them money, or maybe I had been on the phone for most of the morning with doctors and movers and retirement home coordinators, but thankfully Starbucks had all the Awake tea I wanted: two bags and a smidge of cream. What if they had said no, not today. What if they had offered me a cup of green tea, or worse, calm tea? Who knows what I might have done. I'll never know. Nor will I know what happened to the coffee lady just before her morning coffee dreams were shattered. I'd like to think I'd choose kindness over madness, but I just don't know.