Dear Incredible First Job,

Thank you for the opportunity to be a barista in the first- job life chapter. Many life lessons were learned from spilling drinks, to making wrong orders, to interacting with customers, and finding a love for coffee.

All the spilt coffee and milk allowed me to learn it is okay to make mistakes. No one is perfect. A person does not always have to be perfect even under pressure. I applied lessons learned during military drills, a high pressure situation, to that of handling the rush of customers in the coffee shop. I fell in love with the adrenaline rush and fast pace of the shop

I also fell in love with the sounds of tapping espresso out of handles. I fell in love with sounds of grinding espresso and of ice being scooped. You also gave me a muscular right arm from scooping ice hard gelato. My left arm was puny, in comparison.

I appreciate you for bringing incredible people into my life and for learning a skill I wasn't sure I was going to be able to handle. This job allowed me to find a community of friends and customers in my small town where I never felt 100% a part of.

You gave me the confidence to start conversations with customers who I did not know. I learned to be nosy to a certain extent. Also, a smile does truly go a long way. You also never know when a "how are you" or "hope you have a great day" will make a person's day.

DETAILS DETAILS DETAILS!!! They are always extremely important in any job - pouring the right amount of milk in the drink, making sure the milk is not too hot so it won't burn, and making sure the chocolate syrups are poured into the drink. My military college experience has taught me to pay attention to details, but I did not have real world application until I had a chance to work here.

I was lucky to have stumbled upon you and to have you take a chance on a girl who was an avid Starbucks drinker. Now, it is hard to go to Starbucks without without thinking of you. You make me stop in every little coffee shop along the way. I am now a picky coffee drinker - the espresso must taste just right.

Thank you for teaching me to have fun and to be myself in a work environment. I will never forget the memories we share. I won't forget mixing decaffeinated espresso with regular. I will never forget the laughs, the rock out sessions, the theme nights, or the morning lunges behind the counter.

Thank you for giving me a great start into the real world. Thank you for taking a chance on a college girl with no work experience.

Always grateful.

Sincerely,

A girl with real life experience