Yesterday I got a valuable lesson: gratitude.
I went to dinner at my favorite restaurant, a place I've been eating at almost weekly since last fall. For a Tuesday night, it was bustling and hustling. My favorite waiter sat down at my table and told me that as of this coming Sunday, the restaurant was closing. Forever. The owners have sold the entire building, which is fairly old and needs serious upkeep -- the restaurant has been in place for 35 years.
The really shocking part--aside from the disappearance of my avocade burger and top grade martini--is that the entire staff is now, suddenly, scrambling for work. It sounds as if the owners did not warn the staff, despite many of them being part of the place for years.
Wow. As he told me, in this economy, even service jobs that only a few years ago were thick on the ground are gone, so finding a wait job is lots harder than it used to be. He has nothing lined up yet.
Hence, gratitude.
Yes, my job has problems. Some days, lots of them. But I have a job that I like at least 50% of the time and one where I have a lot of say in how and what I do. And a stable paycheck that is enabling me to pay off my debt, save for retirement, and buy catfood.
Sometimes I think people to tell me to practice gratitude are also telling me to shut up and take it, whatever "it" is. Be grateful and don't rock the boat. But right now, thinking of those waiters and bartenders out of regular paychecks and a place to go with a community, I really feel grateful.
Five things I am grateful for today:
1. My job, which includes opportunities for creative and intellectual endeavor
2. My new apartment, which is 50% larger and has a private patio
3. The return of cool weather, for now, to the Big D
4. My Nook, which enables me to carry many books anywhere
5. My Bialetti, which I had forgotten I owned until a reader reminded me--good, strong coffee!
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Glad that you found your forgotten Bialetti and you like the result!TheGoogle picture of today, robert bunsen's birthday, shows also a Bialetti. I don't know, if he was a co- inventor or liked that kind of coffee for his inspirations.
ReplyDeleteI have Bialettis in several sizes, up to 8 cups.
You can take that coffee to work without much quality downslide. Try to get Spanish Espresso. Several brands roast it with sugar (up to 50%) which gives the coffee an irresistible flavour.
Barbara from Munich in Bavaria.
The first time I had coffee from a Bialetti was a very chic friend in NYC. She was Italian and had grown up with one, as opposed to instant, which was what we had in my home. I had forgotten I had one, let alone the good strong coffee it brews! Thanks for writing!
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