Saturday, August 10, 2013

What the Bou is Teaching Me About Coffee, Communication, and Grace?

So I've been working at the Bou for about 3 weeks now, and today I fumbled hardcore. Seriously. Someone has it out for my hands. As I was trying to multitask: talking to a customer, grabbing a lid, and filling a coffee cup; I forgot to flip off the dispenser and coffee spilled over my hands. Burning. Blisters are now forming on my fingers as they heal. Today, I have learned that Coffee is hot. I've also learned that customers don't care if the skin of your fingers has been scaled. They want their java and they want it now. They haven't had their caffeine yet, and they are crabby. When a crisis happens before your daily cup of joe, it's a given that you won't be awake enough to handle it. That's how I'm learning grace. Grace with others and grace with myself. I'm still learning. I'm learning that I really had no idea of what it took to get my small dark roast, no room for cream. Hence, I will forever be tipping my baristas from now on. I have learned that if I don't call out the orders to my teammates, my customers will not get their drinks. I've also learned that I am still learning, and as my customers may be crabby, they haven't had their coffee yet, so I must have grace. It's only been 3 weeks. I still have some experience to go before I'm an expert, so I must have grace with myself. Laugh at the mistakes and fix it next time. Meanwhile, I'm gonna let my fingers heal as I continue giving hugs in mugs to the world.

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