Whenever I sit down to write a story, the only visual that ever comes to mind is that of me standing in line to get a cup of coffee. And I have so many of these stories. But I could have even more. Because, and I’m not exaggerating here, whenever I try to write, it’s like I’m always wrestling with this image of me standing in line at a Starbucks or a Dunkin Donuts or whatever.

Which is totally crazy, because even though I drink a ton of coffee, it’s not like I go out for coffee every day. Hardly, because that’s a cost that adds up. No, it’s much easier to make my own pot at home, to drink as much as I want throughout the course of the day, and then if I actually have to go somewhere, fine, then I can stop somewhere and wait in line for a cup.

But even then, even on the rare chance that I’m actually paying for a cup of coffee, they’re always the most straightforward experiences. They’re almost too straightforward. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything interesting to me happen while I’m waiting in line for coffee. If anything, it’s always so boring. I hate having to go out of my way to a coffee shop, and then waiting in line. And then even though my coffee order is so regular, every once in a while they’ll mess it up. Of course, I won’t notice until I’m like a block away, until the coffee has cooled down enough for me to take a sip.

But whatever, that’s not what this is about. It’s about how I’m stuck in this very nondescript situation. And I know there are other cooler things that I could imagine as the backdrops for my stories. And that’s cool, maybe I’ll get to some of them. But even if I do get to them, it’s only after I’ve considered and then dismissed the waiting in line for a coffee scenario. Because it’s always there.

And it’s always there first. And so, I don’t know, lately I’ve just been trying to go with it. It’s like I’m challenging my brain. Like, you really want this coffee shop? Fine, let’s do it. And then I write these increasingly bizarre stories that don’t even make any sense to me. And now I’m writing a blog post about how I can’t stop writing about coffee shops, and so I think I’m making a little too much out of this. So now feels like a good time for an abrupt ending. Yeah, I’m just going to go to sleep, and tomorrow I’ll write something non coffee related.