I waited tables at an Italian restaurant tonight as part of a charity function. Well, to be more accurate, I occasionally carried out bread and water. That has to be a hard way to make a living. I found myself wanting to sit down after half an hour and completely forgetting about some tables. I don't think my tips would be very impressive. Thankfully, the professionals were doing all the real work, and I didn't drop anything.
I went to dinner and a play last night with a group of friends from work. I actually saw people from work a lot this weekend. A little too much, I think. It is healthiest to keep those lives separate, but it is hard when many of your friends are at work. You just end up bitching about work the whole time, and how healthy is that on your weekend?
The play we went to was outdoors, and it was rainy and cold. Thankfully, we were under a little overhang, so we stayed dry. The play was Romeo and Juliet. I found myself wishing they would skip over the flowery soliloquies and get to the action. I was a bit antsy. I guess I prefer plays in which I don't know the dramatic conclusion backward and forward. The poor actors were shivering in the rain in their soaked costumes. At one point poor Romeo was only his skivvies. Poor guy. They earned their paychecks that night.
So, two things I couldn't do...wait tables and do Shakespeare in the rain. I guess my job isn't so bad.
--MM
That's right - you never had the joy of serving tables. At least you always get fed in the service industry!
ReplyDeleteI actually went to a seminar once where the speaker said one of the top three things to do to avoid burnout is to have friends outside work.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty hard to do -- but all the more important -- when your job inherently involves long hours and extra stress. :)