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Can a Cafe Cubano Save the World?

Every Wednesday morning I join a friend for coffee. We meet at a nice place that has decent coffee.

Our barista’s name is Marge. When I arrive at 7am she has already poured hot water into a white porcelain mug to warm it up. She has ground just the right amount of espresso and has the half-teaspoon of cinnamon and pinch of raw cane sugar measured out and waiting for my bleary-eye presence to darken her counter. She knows what I need. She has figured out and memorized exactly how to craft the perfect eye-opener for me. And after tamping down the espresso with the cinnamon and sugar, she deftly pulls a shot of the caramel-colored heaven that is commonly know as a cafe cubano.

Sometimes the presence of this perfect piece of paradise changes my world for a few minutes as its complex and decadent silkiness finds its way to all of my senses. But the temporary transformation fades and the world appears much as it did when I walked in the door.

So, can a cafe cubano change the world? No, but the one who crafted it can. There is something deep and affirming about being known and about being valued to the extent that every detail of my preference is noted and remembered each Wednesday. It’s no little thing that Marge knows that I like a glass of ice-water with my cubano and just hands it to me without so much as a casual mention. It is a touch of grace when she reminds me to scan my Advantage Card so that I can get a free cubano as often as possible. 

Honestly, Marge could probably make my cubano the way everyone else does and I would still have coffee there every Wednesday. But it is the thoughtfulness and attentiveness, when it’s not necessary, that makes my cubano an elaborate, one of a kind piece of heaven on earth. 

If we all would approach our work like Marge, heaven would have to be held back. We wouldn’t have room in our hearts to hold the all the sweet overflowing silky goodness of grace and contentment. Marge cares by way of a cafe cubano. What’s your cup of coffee? Do you show care in the way you remember someone’s name as you greet them at reception window of the doctor’s office? Do you bring heaven to earth by making sure that the nuts equal the bolts in the little hardware packet you pack with your bike assemblies? Do you channel the pure love of God as you remember the name of the young guy that sells magazines on your beat?

In the little things we plant big feelings. In mustard seed size awareness of those we serve, we create mountains of goodness! Your work – and the way you do it – matters and the care you put into it can change everything!

If this is the world you are called to and you would like to join others in it, we invite you to join us to hear how it is possible, Come to the City Gates Conference on September 12 in Detroit. You can sign up HERE