By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com
Heather Cathleen Cox
I wasn’t ready to rise or shine, so I remained tucked in my king size bed until the last possible moment. When my feet hit the cold tile, I fumbled to the restroom in an attempt to take the quickest shower humanly possible and still get clean. I brushed my teeth, dressed, packed my gear and rushed to my car, which didn’t start. Fortunately, I was running so late I didn’t have time to panic.
My little 2001 Geo Prism, Gia, was coated in the early morning dew of 7:45 a.m. Poor old girl didn’t want to wake up this morning either, and she sputtered as I turned the ignition, muttering a humble prayer under my breath for God to help her start. As I alas cleared the driveway, I thought I was home-free.
At the first neighborhood stop sign, however, Gia died. Again. I think it’s the fuel filter. Eventually, though, I was off like a bandit. I turned the radio on blast and longingly glanced down at my cup holders. I normally brew coffee in the mornings – I’m getting into pumpkin spice flavored coffee this autumn. I usually bring two 20 oz. thermos-cups full to work, because I can easily drink one on my drive. This morning, I had been in such a hurry, I forgot.
The shocking disappointment of empty cup holders must have prompted my internal GPS to commence driving to the nearest Starbuck’s. Even Gia supported this decision by not choosing to die on the commute.
There are two entrances to this particular Starbuck’s, and coffee-hungry drivers were feeding into the drive-up lane from each one. I couldn’t even park, as vehicles were coiled completely around the building.
It was mayhem. Starbuck’s traffic was spilling into the street. I thought about abandoning the hot pursuit of delicious coffee, that is, until I noticed the red rear lights of one gold-colored SUV backing out of a slot. A vehemence fell over me, and I became willing to risk my life to enter a parking lot full of soccer-mom driven SUVs seemingly ready to pounce on poor Gia rather than forgo a mocha latte.
Well, the joke was absolutely on me when I entered the Starbuckian lobby. Would you believe that every seat was occupied, and there were 17 people ahead of me in a line not dissimilar to the line outside?
After five minutes, I was no closer to obtaining my coffee than I’d been in my car. It’s not that baristas weren’t working fiercely. Rather, there weren’t enough machines or hands with which to take and fill all the orders. It would have been at least a 30 minute wait, so I left empty-handed.
My frown turned upside down when I noted a McDonald’s across the street. In sincere hopes Gia wouldn’t stall, I darted across six lanes of oncoming traffic to enter the parking lot, where I discovered at least 20 other vehicles had beaten me to the punch, or in this case the coffee.
I may not have had any coffee this morning, but I did have an epiphany: Many people require a daily coffee, frappy drink or cup of hot/iced tea, yet this area is not inundated with easy-to-access, ultra-cool coffee shops. I’ve wanted to have my own shop since I started drinking coffee (a very young age, and I drank it black, too), but that dream came vividly alive when I became acquainted with a quaint coffee shop in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica that also served beautiful gourmet sandwiches. Beyond the coffee shop was the most intoxicating horizon of a black, rock island in the Pacific Ocean. At sunset, the Tican sun sinks into deeply blue waters as the sky lights afire with sparkling shades of magenta, gold and aquamarine. Some days, I’d walk from the shop to a sweet little used bookstore, which shared the same Pacific backdrop. It was in Costa Rica that I became inspired to build the coffeehouse of my dreams, in which I’d probably elect to sell used books.
I know my coffeehouse, a shop which caters to the everyday person who is seeking a dash of inspiration or a shot of love to accompany their coffee and tea. Just today, it became clear that there is a demand for such a place, which means there is demand for my dream.
As I peer over at a lonely, naked desk – no coffee to my right, where normally there would be several cups – I am inspired that my dream will soon be a reality. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” I’m taking solace in the assurance that through God’s blessing, wise counsel, hard work, diligence and a good attitude, one day I’ll establish the coffeehouse of my dreams!
While I wait on God to open the right doors and align finances so I can accomplish this goal, I’m reminded of John 14:13, which says, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” So I’m planting this week’s Heather Hopes column as a seed for the purpose of obtaining the harvest of my heart’s desire, my precious coffeehouse, which I sow with love in Jesus’ name.
God is a God of bounty, who delights in blessing his children with the desires of their heart. That means no one’s God-given dream or heart’s desire is unattainable – not mine, not yours, not anyone’s. I hope you’re reaching for your heart’s desire, no matter what shape that might take at this moment. The only guaranteed way of not obtaining our dreams is if we refuse to acknowledge their existence.
Read this story in the Oct. 21 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.
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