I Walk My Coffee

I remember a time when Starbucks wasn't omnipresent on every corner. At the time, celebrities were pictured holding Starbucks to-go cups. It was a status symbol. Running around with a cup of overpriced coffee seemed like the thing to do. I envied that lifestyle.

A quote from the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movie The Challenge that I often think of is: "Some people are go-go-go — but where are they going?" Funny enough, at the time I wanted to be one of those people. Super busy, always on the go. I thought it had something to do with being driven and ambitious. That's what these celebrities made it seem like, and the characters they played in movies and series seemed to reinforce it.

However, I've come to understand that it doesn't necessarily work that way. Some people appear busy, but fill their days with unnecessary, non-value-adding tasks. They may seem glamorous in the way my younger self used to view these women, but at the end of the day: why would I envy that?

I'd rather do less, enjoy what I do and be present.

I forget where I read this piece about "to-go coffee." I believe it was an article on LinkedIn about how the Portuguese don't have their espressos to go. Lisbon is filled with espresso bars, where people go and have their morning espresso from an actual ceramic cup.

A paper to-go cup has less to do with luxury and is actually more of a sad example of a decline in our culture. What happened to us that we can't even take five minutes to drink a coffee in our day-to-day lives? And by doing so, we generate waste that has an environmental cost, when we could have simply avoided it and enjoyed our coffee for a few minutes — sitting or standing?

That was basically the essence of the piece.

I've given this a lot of thought. Is the case better if we bring a reusable cup for our to-go coffee? Does our society seem less "sad" then?

Because I'll admit: I love a coffee walk.

To me, this means pure bliss. Luxury, even. I get to smell the coffee, catch a whiff of it every now and then while breathing in the fresh air, and just walk.

It can be social with friends — catching up while we walk — or something I do in solitude before a day of working from home. Yes, I've made it a ritual. I "walk my coffee." I tell myself that others walk their dogs, and I'm walking my coffee.

I usually don't even pour it into a thermos. I just grab my mug and head out the door to walk around the block or through the nearby park. A moment for myself before a day of work. A chance to clear my mind, get some steps in and nurture my body and soul.

And maybe this is where my younger self got something right.

There is something about having a coffee in your hand while walking around that makes you feel like you're going somewhere. But now, I don't actually need to be going anywhere.

I can just walk. In a weird way, I've become a "go, go, go, but where are they going?" person with less "go." I know where I'm heading. I'm not flying around like my hair's on fire, fueled by the crazy energy that made those movie characters seem so important. I'm just walking my coffee.

I still see groups of teenagers heading into Starbucks together, ordering their oversized, sugary milk drinks and walking around with their cups. And I can't help but wonder if they're experiencing the same thing I did — buying into the little fantasy of what a certain lifestyle is supposed to look like.

Maybe they are. Maybe they're just craving a Starbucks special.

And honestly, either is fine.