I peeked at the Starbucks drive-through line. There were only three cars in queue, yes! How convenient!
I pulled in and prepared to order myself a latte.
A couple minutes passed. No big deal.
But by the five-minute mark, I’d only moved up one car length. I was starting to question my definition of convenience.
Those five minutes were five minutes I could have spent on the clock.
Worse, they were five minutes I could have spent snuggling with my five-year-old instead of dropping him off in a hurry.
I’d reached the front of the line by eight minutes. I was already itching to leave, but I was invested. I’d already waited eight minutes, dagnabit!
After I spent another minute trying to catch the–any–barristas’ attention, I pulled away without my coffee.
I do so enjoy my Starbucks lattes. But more than that, I value my time. Beyond one or two minutes, the wait for a latte makes the latte no longer convenient to me. I enjoy coffee with a splash of milk almost as much as I enjoy a latte … and can make that myself in a matter of seconds!
I’m glad for that nine-minute wait. Without it, I’d have had a latte … but I’d still be defining “convenience” in someone else’s terms.