revolutionary in training

Last week I made the arduous journey from San Francisco to San Diego, driving south past the heinous stench of cow dung with the prospect of sunshine and beaches lying ahead of me. After I hit Los Angeles I found myself in desperate need of a coffee and went in search of a Starbucks. Not being very familiar with the L.A. area, I was struggling to locate the infamous purveyor of fine coffee but had high hopes that if I continued down the 405 one would magically appear, as it had multiple times along the barren I-5 strip just prior. However, hunched over the steering wheel peering to either side of the freeway, my search soon became one of desperation. No longer did I just want a simple coffee, I was ready for a grande full-fat mocha frappuccino with whipping cream.

After pulling off the freeway multiple times, including one stop at a fabulous outdoor shopping center complete with a ferris wheel… and no Starbucks, I finally spotted a Barnes and Noble and knew that my search was over. This time as I continued south in the sunshine, I sipped on my cool coffee drink and listened to fellow Vancouverite, Michael Bublé (that’s Boo-blay), crooning love songs to me. It might have been the sudden rush of sugar to my head, but before I knew it I had fallen in love with Bublé’s smooth jazz voice and felt my spirits instantly revived.

So, the moral of the story is twofold. First, sometimes the journey is long and it seems you’ll never reach your destination, but if you keep at it eventually a Starbucks will appear on the horizon and you’ll know everything is going to be okay. And secondly, when you’ve given yourself over to a dream and trials inevitably come your way, take a break, sit back and enjoy some great music. After all, a little Bublé goes a long way.