October Morning

Have you ever woken up on the most amazing morning and had the feeling like you're going to regret it if you stay in bed a minute longer, but you still do because you're just too comfortable? It was one of those mornings for me. And today was an interesting day. The morning was gorgeous, and, until I got to work and started the day there, perfect.

I really love October mornings, and today was no different as far as fall scenery goes. Perfectly crisp, vividly colorful in every way, this morning presented itself in autumn glory as beautifully as they come. And as much as I wanted to get up and go for a run in the cool weather, naturally, I was too lazy to abandon my cozy bed. Finally, when I did summon the strength to get out of bed, I got ready for work, and headed to Ruby Tuesday, where I work as a server and hostess. This morning, I was serving.

To be entirely honest, I'm a much better hostess than I am a server, but I suppose that's to be expected when one has over a year of hostessing experience next to a few months of waitressing experience. Granted, I think I'm improving and I do enjoy it very much. Today, my first table was a trio of ladies who, after ordering their drinks and lunch, informed me hurriedly that they needed to be in and out in 25 minutes. And that was only the beginning of it. I am puzzled repeatedly as to why people in restaurants can be so impolite, unpleasant, or just plain callous, to get what they want under ridiculous circumstances. There should be etiquette for restaurant guests!

So the anxiety of serving a picky table which was only intentsified by one of my unnecessarily panicked managers -- coupled with the fact that I probably woke up on the wrong side of bed -- did not help me maintain my usually cheery demeanor this morning.

Luckily, work doesn't last forever, and I was soon freed. I do like working at Ruby Tuesday, don't get me wrong, but serving under the eye of this particular manager is rarely stress-free.

The rest of the day left me thinking of how on earth I could make myself a more pleasant person to be around since, quite clearly, moping and complaining about the morning I'd just endured wasn't going to make anybody's day. I read some more of a book (which I just finished tonight, finally) I'd been dragging out, and that helped me get out of my self-absorbed bubble a bit.

I think it's so easy to get wrapped up in one's self, and I really fell into that today. And all because one little thing tipped the balance of my whole ecosystem of security, concern, care, and confidence. That's really what got me thinking. How could I be so fickle, so petty, as to let one little thing bother me so much as to taint the rest of my day with my self pity? Then I thought, ok, wait. What is the root of this? How could it have started? I think it's my pride. When I discover that I'm good at something, I like to stick with it, because I know I'll eventually get praise for it. And I thrive on praise. Honestly, I do. It's a good thing as much as it is bad.

Pride. Something I cling to far too often. Something I am blinded by. And something that continues to trip me over and over again. And I didn't even realize what it was until I started writing this paragraph.

In the sense that I keep doing what I know I'm good at -- being a hostess, greeting people, smiling -- I think improving what you're talented at is a good thing. But I think it's even more impressive to improve and succeed at something you don't take to naturally. For me, it just might be multi-tasking, which is the fundamental skill of being a good server. I like doing a couple things at a time, and can handle doing a lot of things at one time too. But when you're new at dealing with tricky customers and figuring out what you can do (on the spot), that kind of skill on top of everything else is certainly a challenge for me.

So those are a few thoughts I had today. It was a good day. Surely, a day given by God, and I think today's purpose was to humble me and help me realize that all things are from God. ALL things. Even cranky customers.