Before the day starts, and sometimes when it ends, I grab a coffee. A caramel macchiato most days, but really, it doesn’t matter what it is as long as I can feel something in my veins. While I sit there waiting for them to create the same cup I’ve been getting since high school, I wonder where my life could have been. In the military, maybe, or maybe in college playing football, if I had tried back then, but no. I was here. Still in my hometown, having dreams of someone reading the things I conjure onto a page. Not a bad life for the most part. I managed to make ends meet, but I really wish for something more. In the subsequent years, I plan to take those steps and overcome the fear of not having the necessary skills to make it happen. That being said, I have a lot to learn… but maybe with another time I could have an audience that leans back in anticipation for something “Great?” something “New?” I sip from the cup I collected while on autopilot. My mind is stuck on the what-ifs and just running. Running from the fear. The never-ending fear, but I have overcome social problems- I could overcome this.

Anyway, coffee is always my go-to before opening the store in town.