Ghosted: Blockbuster Coffee

Ever had a coffee that tastes like a ghosted blockbuster career?

You know what I mean — you wake up, feeling like today is the day. You make your coffee, take that first sip, and suddenly… it hits.

That taste? It’s not caramel. Not hazelnut. Not even burnt office pot.

Nope. It tastes like all those “We’ve decided to move forward with other candidates” emails you got this month.

It tastes like that big role you were “perfect” for, where you made it to round seven and even did an unpaid project presentation… only to get ghosted so hard you started checking the FBI missing persons database.

It tastes like the recruiter who told you “We love your energy!” and then promptly vanished into the Bermuda Triangle of LinkedIn messages, never to be seen again.

It’s the flavor of all those “blockbuster” moments you imagined. You know, the ones where you’d be standing on a stage giving a TED Talk, or updating LinkedIn with a humble brag about your “new chapter as Chief Vibe Officer at a company that only hires during full moons.”

But instead? You’re here, sipping a cup of broken dreams at 7:06 a.m., wearing that hoodie you’ve convinced yourself is “business casual” because it’s technically not stained.

Then you open your email. One new message. Your heart races. Maybe this is it. Maybe it’s that life-changing offer you manifested under the last full moon.

Nope. It’s a discount code from Domino’s. “50% off large pizzas this week only!”

Domino’s, I love you, but your timing is brutal.

Meanwhile, LinkedIn is a minefield.

“Thrilled to announce I wasn’t even looking but somehow became VP of the Universe!”

“Oh, you found your dream job by accident while baking banana bread? Cool cool cool.”

And there’s you, furiously “liking” everyone’s posts while trying not to cry into your mug of ghost-flavored coffee.

The best part? The endless “networking” advice.

“Just reach out!”

“Put yourself out there!”

“Send cold DMs — recruiters LOVE that!”

Sure. Let me just slide into a stranger’s inbox at 1 a.m. with:

“Hi Jessica! I noticed you breathe oxygen too. We have so much in common. Can you refer me for that role you posted 47 seconds ago?”

The coffee grows colder. Your self-esteem does too. But still, you take another sip. Because maybe, just maybe, this sip will bring the courage you need to send that risky follow-up email or apply for that role you’ve convinced yourself is out of reach.

And despite everything — the rejections, the ghostings, the discount pizza betrayals — there’s this weird, beautiful thing: you keep going.

You show up to another day. You rewrite that resume again. You force yourself to put on real pants (or at least real-ish sweatpants). You keep the hope alive even when it feels like a one-sided situationship with the entire job market.

Because somewhere deep down, beneath all the coffee-flavored heartbreak, you know your blockbuster moment is still coming. You know you’re not just some side character in someone else’s highlight reel. You’re the main character — awkward, hilarious, caffeinated, and still fighting.

So here’s to you — the warrior with ghosted dreams and a questionable coffee habit.

One day, your mug will taste like victory (or at least like a decent latte). Until then, keep sipping. Keep showing up. And when you finally write that “Thrilled to announce” post, it’s going to taste better than any fancy roast on earth.

Cheers to you and your ghost-flavored coffee. Pass the creamer — and maybe a slice of humble pie while we’re at it.