Trying New Things
When I was younger, I worked in high-end restaurants for a number of years. I really enjoyed cooking. I liked how physically demanding the work was, and I loved the cocky, high-pressure, environment of the kitchen.
That said, I was often envious of the money that the servers made and frequently thought that I wanted to work in the front of the house.
That is, until I gave it a try.
These days, I make art panels, postcards, stenciled tote bags, and other things. Over the past two or three years, I’ve found myself thinking that it would be really fun to have a booth in a market somewhere on the weekends and sell my art. Yesterday, I finally had a chance to do just that.
It was fun.
But it was exhausting, too.
The experience reminded me of my time spent working in kitchens, where I would often work tirelessly for fourteen hours a day but felt like I needed a month’s vacation after spending one night out on the floor taking orders and chatting with customers.
Some people, I think, are just more naturally suited to front of the house activities while others are more naturally suited to back of the house activities. I belong to the latter half, but I do think that with a few more experiences under belt I could probably find a way to hold my own in the front of the house world. I’ll just need a little more recovery time afterward than those who are naturally suited to it.
If you see anything that you’re interested in purchasing, let me know.
(1)
These flecks of rust
remind me that age is just
there to uncover.
(2)
He would be nothing,
if you took his fear away,
but a lonely man.
(3)
Just as the moon slipped
behind the clouds, your hands
slid under my shirt.
(4)
I could see tonight
that the sky was tired too
and wanted a rest
(5)
watching spouts of mist
whorl above mountain valleys
i forget something
(6)
I got the news, and
by 8 AM I had gone
from beer to whiskey.
(7)
The cicada waits
to fly for three years and,
shortly after, dies.
As always, thanks for reading.