So Where Does All The Money Go?

This month has been different to say the least and I am actually enjoying it. You see I only work evenings and no lunches. Now you may think I am losing money on the deal and I have to admit I am but the one big thing that is different is I get a chance to actually see what it is like leading up to Christmas from an normal prospective.

In previous years right up till the 23rd or 24th I would work lunch and dinner with maybe a day off a week trying to make as much money as I could satisfying the owner's request that there be absolutely no time off granted because all hands were needed on deck. You would then work till you couldn't stand anymore then come Christmas collapse into bed with more aches and pains than you could imagine probably taking years off your life in the process all to make the almighty buck while other people were all being festive.

The truth is we only live once and when you are gone you will be replaced by some other moron.

Tell me why should waiters or bartenders this time of year not get a chance to enjoy the time of year outside of work as well? Where does it say it is mandatory that service personnel have to work 80 hours a week when you know that when things slow down and you need the money the owner is all set to cut your hours down to nothing to save their skin.

Fortunately I have found a place to work where they actually do care about if you have a life outside of work or not. Yes I am off till Thursday and then they gave me Saturday off as well. Maybe it is a stretch and I will try to pick up the shift on Saturday but I will say this that with the time off I have , I am really not missing going in and working 12-14 hour shifts straight through.

Far from being old but long enough to realize , I have found that no matter how much money you make in December after a while it just becomes a little pointless because a year from now you will find you will have the same amount of money at the beginning of December as you did the year before.

So what the hell happened to all the great money! I will guarantee one thing that next December I will have the same amount as I did this month at the beginning. Nothing ! Unless we as waiters do something else differently it will always be the same.

I love waitering and I love teaching and I love spending time with my family and to do all that I needed to get the month of December balanced out.

So here is my thought on December that unless you love working 80 hours a week during this month and love every moment of it , which I know most don't because they are held at gunpoint to work every hour , try to make a change for next year. See about finding just a one shift waiter job. Not only will you start to see a more positive outlook on the December business but your personal life will reach dizzying new heights. It may open up other avenues that you hadn't had the time to investigate before.

Then you can look forward to next December as just another month and not something that has the sole purpose of depriving us of some of life's great experiences. Really , less is more!

As Manuel in his Well Done Fillet Blog says , Choose Life!