Plan Your Future Now And Get Started

Just a little post to catch up on what has been happening lately in the waitering profession. Happy it is June 1st cause May hasn't been great.

I never liked May for many reasons. It is the time when you know that summer is around the corner and the slow days at work begin so you have to make hay while the sun shines. Sick or not sick.

The beginning of May I caught what seemed like the 24 hour flu. I missed a day off work and went back on my next shift. Mother's Day was coming which pretty much meant feeling good or no good I had to work cause the money was going to dry up later. All that week I was suffering from heavy chest congestion which meant working and throwing up stuff at work.

Mother's Day I worked. We did 968 covers that day. I worked a few shifts after then one morning got out of bed and it felt like my upper back was punched in all night. Went to the hospital to find out I had pneumonia. Well that was almost 3 weeks ago and I still have a bit of it hanging on. Throughout I have missed quite a number of shifts.

Now being a waiter I am entitled to a slew of benefits. Not!!

So just as a thought I would like to talk about planning ahead. Waitering is a lot more fun when you are single and can come home if you are sick and sleep a whole day to get rid of it. It is fun when you are single and banking a bunch of money planning your next holiday.

But on the reverse side don't forget too if you are planning to stay in it for an extended length of time and planning on having a family later on, continue working on Plan B whatever that may be. I know I know you are having a blast right now. Partying maybe , or like a co worker of mine having gone to teacher college was wondering if he should do that or work in restaurants. I told him a while back this is fun but think of your future.

Now that he is serious with a girl and probably after seeing me sick he is re applying to get in the school boards here. Teachers in Canada get paid very well I might add with all the benefits. He has come to his senses.

I did a lot of traveling while doing this profession which is why I probably stayed in it as long as I did.

What I didn't do was think of the time I would settle with someone and raise kids when I was younger.

So my suggestion to anyone waitering or bartending is if you are doing this past 30 it is time to start making a Plan B if you haven't started already. Just look around at the people you work with who are older. Look at how excited they are to be working holidays and weekends missing out on the kid's ball game and working New Year's Eve. Wow see the steam coming out of their freakin' ears! They are fired up alright!

Don't get me wrong my life is good and am extremely happy but I am not immortal. When you are younger you think you are. Things start going funny when you are older and your body can't put up with working long hours on Mother's Day. I had too cause the week after the income dries up.

If you work at a bank you get a doctor's note and you are off. Fortunately my wife gets benefits where she is or it would be tough paying for the meds.

So my thought for this post is plan ahead.... Plan your future now and get started. It is never too late but why wait till later.