Let me tell you a story.
My son Zach stopped at our favorite coffee shop on his way to work yesterday to get an espresso (for me) and a croissant (for him), our usual Wednesday routine. Sadly, the shop was out of croissants on this day, so we headed to work. I texted the people I know at the other location of that shop that we frequent and asked them to set aside a croissant if they could, and shortly received a response: “We gotchu.”
When Zach finished his shift we headed over to the shop; I was so excited for him to find that his cafe had taken such good care of him.
We arrived and Zach asked the concierge if they had a croissant for him, and another team member (I’m not here to embarrass anyone, but they know who they are) came over to let the concierge know it was under the counter, and she produced a bag with Zach’s name. The the team member told me the story.
They were out of the cafe on the road when they saw my text, and reached out to someone at the cafe; unfortunately this cafe was also already out of croissants. So this team member stopped at the bakery and picked up a croissant for Zach, and a chocolate chip cookie, just for good measure.
This is why I say that the coffee is only partly about the beans for me. That level of care and community drawing Zach in, looking out for him, is the kind of gift you could never ask for. I don’t think Zach gets the full implication of how much effort went into getting him his croissant on Wednesday, but he knows that he belongs there. Those of us who see the whole story know that having someone who is that much in your corner makes you a truly blessed individual.
Brandon Woosley 