The chai tea latte experiment

Change can be a bitch sometimes, when it comes to my coffee order that is.

I have always been a firm believer in going for what you want, what you believe in and love. Just jump, take the leap. What can go wrong?

Never being one to shy away from taking a chance, I go for it, even if I end up defeated and sad.

But when it comes to my everyday routine, sometimes that's a hard habit to break.

Time after time, in any place I have lived in - Bay City, Huntsville, Lake Jackson or Fort Worth, there are things that I just don't change.

And that is newspapers and my Starbucks coffee. I know, no surprise there. 

My usual order: Venti Pike with half and half and six Equal is my drug of choice. There are times when I vary it (rarely, like once a year) and get an iced coffee or an ice tea. But no one messes with my coffee order.

But this morning, after having a conversation about good and bad habits with Jarod the day before, I did something crazy and ordered something different. (The horror!)

Jarod told me he was thinking about something I had said in the trip we took to Corpus Christi this weekend where I said I was a "creature of habit." I guess I am easy to read. He figured out my weakness.

I am not sure how we ended up talking about my coffee intake and newspapers. (His take on newspapers is another blog all together, don't get me started.)
 

He said, "Why not try something different?"

Something different? Is he crazy? But just as he said that, the first drink that ran though my mind was a chai tea latte.

"Why not try a chai tea latte?" He suggested.

"That's what I was thinking!" I said excitingly.

I thought of it, he mentioned it. So why not?

This morning I was determined and excited to try this new concoction. My new drink. Would I regret it? Would it change the course of life? Ok, this is coffee, not a science discovery.

The barista was waiting for me as I walked in.

After some small talk and some hellos, he proceeded to order for me.

"Venti Pike with room for cream..." He said as he punched in my order to the register.

"I think I will try a chai tea latte this morning."

And just as I heard those words come out of my mouth, he looked at me in confusion.

"I am sorry, a what?" He asked me in disbelief.

"So you don't want your regular?" He asked.

My regular order I though? Of course I want my regular. But I had decided that morning that I would make a small change in life.

"I am trying something different this morning," I said.

It's weird how I have never been afraid of change when it comes to big life decisions. Leaving Dell to follow my dreams of being a journalist. Leaving the comforts of home, to live in a small agriculture, rice farming community to be an editor, to retiring journalism and moving to West Texas to become an educator. But changing my coffee order? My morning routine? Hardest thing I have ever done.

Needless to say, the barista smiled at me after I told him I would be ordering something different. It felt a bit odd, but rewarding. I know, this is not a life or death situation, but this small step I took today, can open up an entire world of firsts for my personal life in a long while. What's next? Only time will tell.

Have you ever had to make a hard decision or break a habit? Comment or email me! Acosta6348@gmail.com