The Entire World Is A Stage - Sometimes It Helps To Have A Baseline

I wake up from a very un-restful nights sleep and get dressed. My team at work is waiting for me to help with some training materials and I need some energy to get the morning going. I could take a cold shower or practice limericks to wake my brain up, but I would prefer my own dosage of caffeine to those other options.

I walk into my local coffee shop to order three shots of espresso. But before I do that, I encounter one of the most genial baristas I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Amber (her name is changed for this article) is, I assume, a twenty something year old wife with a fondness for people and a joy for work. I chat with her about what's new in her life. There's nothing new. We don't have much time to connect because it's the rush hour and I don't want to hold up the line, so I step aside after I've ordered and wait to pick up my drink.

A couple of