I'll have my "usual", please.

The other day I went to Starbucks for my mid-day java jolt and ordered “my drink” – a grande, raspberry, non-fat, no-whip mocha. That’s right, I like my drinks how I like my men: sweet and complicated.

So I ordered, handed over the obscenely unnecessary amount of 4 bucks, and then elbowed my way into the huddled mass of other afternoon coffee lovers waiting for their overpriced cup of stress relief. So I’m standing there, waiting. And waiting some more. I then get waved over by the barista, who I’m thinking wants to reward my loyalty by giving me a free gift card under the table or something, but who instead admits that they are out of raspberry syrup.

Two questions:

1. WHAT?? [Insert big eyed, blinking stare]
2. And why didn’t you know this before I gave up my money and waited patiently, anticipating the unforgettable taste of my beloved brew??

It’s not the fact that they ran out of the raspberry syrup that makes me upset– I understand that disasters can and will happen. It’s the fact that they led me to believe that my addiction would be satiated and then suddenly took it all away... and then what’s worse, with my fellow Starbucks cult members looking on, is that they asked me what other drink I wanted, and I had NO idea. I was put on the spot, expecting my raspberry mocha, and couldn’t even read the menu for other options as my vision was blurred by the sudden surprise of not getting what I ALWAYS order and ALWAYS expect.

So I just kind of stared at the remorseful-less Barista and said nothing... it was almost like I was waiting for him to say, “JUST KIDDING! You’ve been Punk’d” and then be presented with the best raspberry mocha I’ve ever had by Ashton Kutcher himself. Well, that didn’t happen.

I collected myself and managed to order a latte instead, but I wasn’t happy about it. I then realized how much I rely on my “usuals” – I think we all have some kind “usual” we depend on. Be it a favorite dish you always order at a specific restaurant or a specific TV show you watch every week without fail. “Usuals” most likely control some facet of your life and I was embarrassed that my “usual” left me tongue tied and inflexible (and in front of a gaping, judging Starbucks crowd no less).

The more I think about my “usuals”, the more disappointed I become in myself. Let’s face it, most of us aren’t sky diving instructors or out of work artists trying to make a buck on Hollywood boulevard by playing the drums on empty buckets -- we’re working at a typical 9-5 job and without even trying, we are living very mundane, “usual” lifestyles, which is something I often complain about when I’m not playing drums on the corner to make an extra buck (okay, that’s a lie, but not a bad idea).

So here I am, whining about my unusual life, as usual, and have a mini panic attack when Starbucks forces me to think outside my raspberry mocha and settle for something different. Was it really that painful? Of course not. But should I take this as a lesson that I need to drop my “usuals” and spice things up? You bet ya. Stepping outside your comfort zone, even if it’s merely ordering a new kind of drink, can only enhance your boring life and introduce you to wonderful new things; however, having tried this before, these new things soon become your new “usuals”, thus the vicious cycle continues, but either way, you’re embracing change and change is good.

So go forth, change things up and instead of ordering your usual, go for your UNusual.