It dawned on me the other day, while I was waiting in the drive-through for my early morning Starbucks fix, that I haven’t had to wait for a latte in a long time. Gas lines, yes. Coffee lines, no.

I experienced such a long wait that particular morning that I had time to apply all of my makeup (yes, I frequently leave the house bare-faced, but my trusty cosmetic bag is always beside me, riding shotgun). I even applied my mascara — which usually doesn’t hit my lashes before noon — and managed to neaten my brow line while I was at it. If I’d had a Crest kit, I could’ve whitened my teeth if I’d wanted to.

While I was sitting in my car, finishing my pedicure and waiting to order my grande-half-caff-triple-shot-nonfat-hazelnut-latte, I realized all this waiting in line for coffee might actually be a good thing.

Along with Wachovia and GMAC and the other national corporations that are faltering these days, we’ve also heard for the greater part of this year that Starbucks is suffering. Let’s face it, there aren’t a lot of people willing to spend $4 on a cup of coffee, especially when filling your gas tank competes with paying your monthly electric bill. Only true junkies like myself and TCW art director Anita O’Hara refuse to give up our bean obsession.

I admit, I feel fairly clueless when it comes to the forces at work in this shaky economy (in my defense, I managed to take one math class in six years of higher learning, so my financial know-how is rudimentary at best). But it struck me that, perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, waiting for a frivolous cup of coffee translates into a little more kerplunk in people’s pockets. I took my genius realization a step further. Maybe all this extra coin was due to the sudden drop in gas prices — from almost $4 a gallon in Charlotte in mid-October to right under $2 a gallon in early November.

Now, if only we could get Starbucks to lower their prices. Maybe the housing industry would begin its rebound …