When I took this job, I knew that I would learn a great deal
about people, but I didn’t expect the lessons to come so quickly. I haven’t been a waitress for a week yet—I haven’t
even begun to take my own tables—and already I’m learning.
Working here is making me step out of my own
experience. When you’re young—and despite
myself, I am still very young—you tend to think of everyone else as just like
yourself. You do it automatically (or at
least I do) and on some level you’re surprised when they make choices that you
would never make. People are vastly
different, and I’m only beginning to understand the sheer range of
personalities out there.
Of course,
it’s only little things I’m spotting now.
I never use straws at restaurants—I just don’t like it. But other people do, and they certainly
remind me when I forget to bring them.
And whenever I go out to eat with someone, I go, I eat, and I
leave. I see no appeal in sitting at a
dirty table, talking on into the night. If
I want to spend more time with that person, I’ll find somewhere else to do
it. But there are some people who just
sit and sit and sit for ages. (These
people are not-so-affectionately dubbed “campers” and they are not a good
thing, especially for a server who would otherwise be off shift by now.) I can’t see the appeal, but there you are.
Like I
said, small differences; but these differences are enough. The small things lead to the big things, and
they get me to thinking. I really do
look forward to learning more about others in this job—it will be interesting
to see what other ways people can surprise me.
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