As I park my car miles away from my coffee shop destination, I notice a few things. One thing I notice is I’ve mistakenly left my credit card at home.

The second thing I notice is – amidst all the people with their back-to-school shopping bags, the larger than normal lack of shopping center parking and the cooler temperature today – school is starting again soon and fall is on its way.

The third thing I notice is that, upon walking a few blocks, I find that I’m out of shape. Perhaps I need to stretch or at least get the heart rate up to prepare for such a walk. I quickly do a few jumping jacks, and it seems to be getting my heart pumping, either because my body hasn’t done them in eight years or from the adrenalin rushing because I’m doing them in a hurry so no one will see me doing jumping jacks.

Then I think: “You know what? This is fun. I don’t care what people think.”

I’m bringing back jumping jacks!

As I get inside the coffee shop, I stand in the long line and think of other things I’d like to bring back.

I’d like to bring back just plain coffee – black with sugar or no sugar – just that simple. Because the only thing more annoying than people walking around with their Quad Venti Skinny Mercado with no foam and extra whipped cream is waiting in line for all of them to order it while the barista doesn’t get the order right the first time.

I’d also like to bring back cash money. Not Lil Wayne’s crew, although hearing that right now would suit my mood because waiting for and watching these people is making me feel angry and very gangsta-like at the moment, but REAL cash money – actual dollars and coins. Not because I’ve left my credit card at home, but because waiting in line gets even more annoying when the credit card machine isn’t working correctly and customers as well as cashiers panic because no one – except for me – carries cash anymore. It’s like we’ve all become programmed robots, but not cool ones like the Transformers or Voltron.

Ah, Voltron. I’d like to bring back Voltron too, before Hollywood does, and I’d have open auditions starting today for ages 18 to 28 so this remake wouldn’t be another disappointing one and this line at the coffee shop could get a lot smaller minus all the wannabe actors in it.

Speaking of Hollywood, I’d also like to bring back scary vampires, not pretty boy and sexy girl vampires. Vampires are supposed to be frightening, right? Not like these pretty girls in this line who could and very well may be auditioning for the next vampire movie and who may unconvincingly get the part.

This brings me to something else I’d like to bring back: Girls that actually eat meat or at least meat substitutes with real food, because although coffee is delicious, it should never be a substitute for a meal.

Not condoning or advertising eating meat, but it would be nice to meet a girl in Los Angeles who doesn’t seem to have coffee with air for breakfast and a copy of a magazine with an underfed model on the cover for dinner.

In fact, I’m not pro-meat necessarily, but pro-tein is something that we all need to survive, along with a healthy heart rate, money, Hope and sunshine.

I’d actually like to get out of this line and enjoy a little sunshine today, before fall comes already.

I’d like to bring back the word autumn instead of fall while I’m at it. Remember the word autumn that we used to read and see in our schoolbooks with all the photos of all the beautifully colored brown and green trees and leaves?

That was a wonderful time, not only because we got to play outside for half of the day, take naps, wear whatever we wanted if it looked cool or not, but because we actually did all these things and got school credit for doing it!

Yes, I’d like to bring autumn back.

After finally getting my coffee – black with sugar – I walk to my car parked two miles away armed with only coffee, Hope and a pocketful of change – the monetary kind that I’ll pay for my parking with, not the kind I’ve been longing for lately. I decide to take a shortcut through Lafayette Park.

Fumbling through my pockets to see if I’ll have enough cash to pay the parking attendant, I notice a brown leaf on the green grass.

Could it be a sign of autumn?

Could my Hope and Change finally be slowly happening?

Then I notice it was only a little brown coffee I’ve spilled on the grass that has made the leaf brown.

At least I’m creating my own change.