Process Is Like Waiting in a Coffee Shop Line
Process often feels like waiting in line for coffee—long, tedious, and full of agitation. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that while we can’t control the pace of our journey, we can control our attitude.
Unlike most of my writings, this one feels more like a vent session, to be completely honest. I found myself feeling exasperated last year over something that, in hindsight, seems trivial. I remember thinking, at one point, that the process I was going through felt like waiting in line for coffee. I actually liked that analogy because it captured my feelings perfectly.
As usual, I turned to my journal to unpack that thought further, and that is when I came to this realization: process is like waiting in line at a coffee shop before work. It is long and slow, with the frustration and moodiness that come with the foggy, pre-coffee brain.
When things come easily to us, or when they do not take as much time as other things, we hardly even remember them. That is like brewing your own coffee at home in the morning—quick, easy, and barely noticeable. But oh, the feeling of waiting in that long coffee shop line, especially after you have already been awake for a while and the fogginess has not lifted. Time seems to slow down at that moment, as if time itself knows that this is the exact moment it should stretch out. You feel cranky, everything irritates you, and even the slightest noise or a raised voice makes you agitated. The process of getting that coffee feels painfully slow.
This is how I feel about some aspects of my life: my journey toward financial stability, my desire for a healthy relationship, and my struggle to maintain consistency with my spiritual practices. There are so many other areas I could share where I experience this same frustration. The purpose of sharing this is to remind us that we are not alone in how we feel.
The process can feel like a pre-coffee brain, or it can feel like a post-meditative brain. It is still foggy, not fully awake. We may not feel particularly talkative because we are adjusting to the quiet in our minds. But what we do have is a greater sense of calm and less reactivity to the distractions around us. We begin to recognize that focusing on the duration or speed of the process serves no one. We are where we are, and we will move at the pace we are meant to, no matter how slow or distracted it may feel.
Once we have experienced something, we tend to navigate future situations better. After the first breakup or divorce, we recover faster. After losing a job for the first time, we are better at networking. After having a child, we are more prepared for the next pregnancy and birth. Naturally, the pace of others’ journeys will differ from our own. We may not know their full story, and even if we think we do, everyone has their own untold experiences that shape their mindset and resilience.
At the end of the day, none of that matters. What truly matters is recognizing that the only thing we can control during a process is our attitude. We can choose indifference, enjoyment, or agitation. Each of these choices influences our internal and external demeanor. What choices have you made in the past? And what will you choose today?