Starbucks' Iced Pumpkin Spiced Latte, or as it is more fun to say, a PSL, will always hold a special place in my heart. First of all, fall is my favorite season and has been since I was young, admittedly partially because of my birthday; which sidenote: I have less than two weeks left of being a teenager, which is crazy! While my birthday is still certainly part of why I love fall, it has more nuance. Fall also means Thanksgiving, the start of Christmas (which, in my mind, is November 1st), and the hopes of the Astros winning the World Series, though as of this week, that is unfortunately no longer the case. Fall also brings changing leaf colors, the wearing of flannels, including my favorite burnt orange button-up, and the onset of cool weather. Here in Houston, 70 degrees is cool enough to consider fall weather! Fall also includes, of course, the yearly resurfacing of the Christian Girl Autumn meme! I am a guy, but I still feel my fall essence represented in that meme, especially with people associating the archetype with Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte. I listed fall-related things because, as I said, I love fall, but also because my mind associates and marks the beginning of this delightful season with the release of Starbucks' fall drinks. Without a doubt, every year, the announcement of fall drinks returning reaches my Instagram, just as today, the announcement of their Christmas drinks came through my feed. (Peppermint Mocha is also top tier, by the way!) The announcement is exciting, but that first sip of my Iced PSL is even more delightful because I start thinking of everything to come. On a more personal note, my dad, growing up, was always the one to take my brothers and me to Starbucks. As a child, I always thought it was just a fun treat when we would go, but as I learned more about my dad's upbringing, I realized it meant more. Often, a parent's goal is to provide for their children more than their parents did, whether emotionally, mentally, or physically. While my dad strives to do all of those, I have noticed that something particularly important to him, no doubt because of his upbringing, is to provide physically. On the surface, it could be providing housing and other essentials, which is a blessing. However, more than that, he is happy being able to give us nonessentials like those Starbucks drinks. So, my mind will forever associate Starbucks drinks with gratitude towards my dad, whose birthday is coincidentally also in the fall. Though I love having a fall birthday, fall is when people start new grade levels and begin to look into their goals for the upcoming year. Those two factors, combined with my birthday, can lead to that familiar and often frightening question: "What am I doing with my life?" I have not always liked my answer to that question. However, I always know that I am continuously growing to steward properly the opportunities God has given me to be a light. As I get older, I may not jump in piles of leaves nearly as much as I should, but the yearly return and my first sip of the Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte take me back to childhood memories and even help me reflect. At the end of the day, if I can even have the fun of drinking an iced pumpkin spice latte, it is also a reminder that life is pretty great!

In the middle of the night, in my dreams, you should see how my future self has a stable family of his own that is in fellowship with our extended family, friends, and church community as I teach government as Dr. Richard Marquez, Ph.D. while making sure my children and students know to pursue their goals and thanking my parents and mentors for their time invested in me.