I’m working Saturdays at the restaurant this month. 

The restaurant is one of my happy places.  I know exactly who I am from the time I step on the floor until the time I pull myself from the bar, usually two or three beer deep.  J has reminded me that I had reasons for leaving, that I was pretty miserable in the end, but I can’t seem to remember past last Saturday.

So that I don’t get sucked in, only to resurface sometime next summer to flooding toilets and a dead mouse stuck to my shoe (now I remember), I am hoping that the reasons I love the restaurant can be replicated by another profession. 

The restaurant is my happy place because:

My friends are there.  The industry is a warm, moist place where friendships grow.  Every day is spent with a group of happy, attractive, young people trying to find their way.  It is us against them (the customers, the tourists), all for one and one for all, licking each others wounds at the end of a 14-hour pounding.  There are few situations that compare to the camaraderie found in a restaurant.

Beer tastes better after serving it.  Imagine a beautiful, hot summer day, drinking beer on the patio with your friends.  Now imagine wearing all black on same hot day, speed-walking for eight hours (in heels for most), and handing same beer to same friends.  Now imagine how freaking good that beer is going to taste when you get one.  I’ve tried to go straight home after work, and as a manager I managed it, but it’s no wonder servers/bartenders/cooks/dishwashers drink a few.

A daily eight-hour walk is great exercise.  I can only assume that exercise has something to do with why working in a restaurant feels so good.  Imagine finding the time to walk (or even stand) for five to eight hours, five or six days a week.  When I left the restaurant I ditched restaurant food and found fruits, vegetables, and lean meat, only to gain 10 pounds in two months.

The restaurant is my happy place because it allows me the time and opportunity to build powerful friendships, enjoy beer with friends, and exercise regularly.  If I can’t earn money while exercising and spending time with friends, I hope to earn money in a way that allows me the flexibility and time to do both.

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