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I experienced a silver lining

“Hi ‚ welcome to North‚ my name is Crystal‚ I will be taking care of you this evening. Have you dined with us before? I got a quick response yes and then immediately going into demands with‚ “I need two kid’s lemonades‚ we need to put the children’s order in now‚ I want to try these wines first before I decide which one I like‚ can we put an artichoke in? Around of waters‚ and uh‚ miss‚ wait‚ can we put an order of the bruschetta in to?” That was all in one minute of being at the table. The gentlemen didn’t like any of the wines I sent him. He wanted to try another wine. I had to go back to the bartender to get a Pinot Noir for them to try. Thank God they liked it. I put their complicated orders in with demands such as “ I want sauce on the side‚ no butter‚ switch out Italian potatoes for asparagus‚ and do not overcook the fish.” By now you get the point that this was a table  from hell and this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. While all this was going on it was Friday night at seven pm. This is one of the busyist nights and times of the week. I had a six table section that kept  getting triple sat. There was a line out the door. The chefs were in the kitchen having melt downs because the printer where the food tickets were coming out of kept overflowing. You could see the panic in their eyes. I came back to the table to check their entrees and the man wanted to send his dinner back. I was angry and almost in tears. For one I knew the chefs would be upset and I did not want them to panic more. The second is I knew there was nothing I could do to make that food turn out right for them. I was not the chef. The man glared at me and said he wanted to speak to a manager because he was upset with the service and how everything came out.  As I looked at the manager I could tell he was not happy. He darted over to me and in and in a angry tone “ you are off the floor for the night and I want to talk to you in my office.” There was no getting my side of the story or sympathizing with me. I could see if I had been a rotten employee but I knew that I was not.

Tears immediately started streaming down my face. I had worked at this restaurant for four years and this was the kind of treatment I was getting. I felt disrespected and that the manager was not giving me the benefit of the doubt. As I was asking him about what happened‚ telling him they were demanding‚ rude customers‚ I had an epiphany. I don’t have to put up with this crap for one more second. The manager kept being hard on me and taking the customer’s side. The manager kept saying that the customer was always right even if they are wrong. All of a sudden I  blurted out “I am putting my two weeks in.” It came out of my mouth automatically without thinking about it or stopping it. Then‚ the manager said I could leave that day and I knew God was doing for me what I could not do for myself. I had stayed way past my expiration date and it is not like me to make snap decisions like that. I knew it was a God shot because knowing myself I would have took their crap and stayed. Once again I would be in a dead end career that is going no where. I would be miserable and going against my own heart.

I walked out of there relieved and raw with emotion. God had more in store for me and it was time for me to leave. I took a couple weeks off of work to collect my thoughts and decide what the next step was going to be. All I have ever known was waitressing. I have been working in this profession  for over sixteen years and was afraid to start over with something new.

My friend knew I needed a job and she was taking care of an eighty five year old woman with dementia and she needed someone to take care of her on the weekends. A year prior to her asking me I would have shut down the offer right away. Something inside me said get out of fear and try it out. The worst scenario is I do not like the job and I can quit. I had nothing to lose.

I ended up loving the job and the woman I took care of and I  became great friends. We would play card games such as bridge. I never knew how to play bridge but these women took their games seriously and I had to take mine serious as well. We played bingo and Dottie would blow over the board for good luck. We would watch old movies and tv shows like I love Lucy and laugh. She would ask me to take a nap with her and hold her while she slept. When it was time for me to go home Dottie would want me to stay the night. I told her I had a husband to go home to. It made my heart melt. She became more like family to me and I enjoyed going to work for her. I ended up moving to Nashville‚ Tn with my husband and had to quit working for her. That was hard to let go of because I looked forward to every day with her. It didn’t even feel like a job to me. She touched my heart and gave me more of a purpose than just serving people their meals. There is nothing wrong with waitressing. What felt wrong to me was staying in something that no longer fit my soul anymore. I felt like I was helping her‚ giving her husband a break‚ and making a difference in her life. She was changing my heart to. I felt more compassion and sense of peace when I was with her. I ended up getting my nursing assistant license in Nashville and now work at a hospital. I help people who are sick and listen to them when they need someone to talk to. It is a humbling feeling when you know you are giving someone some relief by helping them take a bath‚ brushing their hair‚ listening to their fears when they need to talk‚ and bringing them whatever they need to feel comfortable. My heart has softened now that I am in health care. I still get tough patients who are constantly calling out for ice cream. I have never seen one person eat so much ice cream in my life till I worked at the hospital. He should work at a dairy farm when he leaves the hospital. I don’t get mad because I know these people are sick and they have a right to be upset. Some of them of them make me laugh. Working in the health field made me not worry about the little things that one can get upset about. I saw people who were dying and not feeling good. It put into perspective for me to not sweat the small stuff. One of my patients who was ninety years old said to me‚ ” if I knew then what I know now‚ I would have enjoyed myself more and ate as much cake as I wanted.”

Life has a funny way of inserting it’s will when you most need it. I needed a change and I could not see past my fear to realize there was another path for me to take. Working all those years in the restaurant industry did help me and served a purpose in my life. It taught me people skills and how to communicate with people in a kind and effective way. It showed how to be a good salesmen. To always wear a smile no matter what life has thrown your way. I was devastated when my manager did not care and I was in fear about finding another job but somehow I saw  the sliver lining in the situation. Well maybe not that night. That evening I walked out of the restaurant with Alice Cooper raccoon eyes and could not see past my feelings being hurt. When I processed my emotions over the next couple of days I felt relieved.  That quote from The Movie Silver Linings Playbook sums it up for me. “Excelsior‚ it means I’m gonna take all this negativity and use it as fuel. And I’m gonna find a silver lining.” I love that movie and the message from it sums up my life. God probably has more down the road for me. I know next time I feel like I am in a tornado and don’t know which end is up I will remember this moment in time. I will remember that there is always a silver lining.

What is your silver lining moment?

These pictures have been found on the internet.