Imagine this. You get up... you even get dressed in pretty clothes and somewhat match... you attempt do something with your hair and put on a bit of mascara. If you're a girl, I mean. Then you figure out how to get to a surprise going-away party 40 minutes away. You walk, get on the tram (even buy a ticket for once), walk some more... figure out where the bus stop is, and wait.
So the bus never comes. By the time you would get to the party (shout out Alli Restko), you would only be able to be there for 10 minutes before having to truck all the way back to St. Kilda. So, you turn around. Limp your way back to the tram stop and catch the #16 back to a familiar street, get off, see a favorite cafe, order a skinny mocha and some water, and sit down. You take a deep breath, turn on your iPod, and notice your shoulders are no longer hunched, your stomach is no longer turning, and you have a feeling of... relaxation? An hour to go before you're back at work and the sun is shining - it's even warm. One hour to do absolutely nothing and it feels like you've never experienced that sensation before.
Now, I realize that is a bit dramatic - okay, even more than a bit. However, try standing on your feet for 11 hours a day (not an exaggeration) for 5 days in a row. You'd be a bit grumpy, a bit stiff, and a bit worn out - don't you think? So this glimmer of 60 whole minutes to sit by myself and (literally) put my feet up was absolutely amazing. It's the little things in life, right? After my coffee, I wandered down to the beach and saw the potential that my gorgeous suburb has. Kids were building sandcastles, the freezing waves were making everyone scream and laugh, and couples were lounging on towels - soaking up the sun. So I took my shoes off, stripped out of my sweater (I had a t-shirt on Dad), and rolled up my jeans. Life could be worse.
Waitressing is amazingly fun, tiring, hilarious, stressful, entertaining, physically painful, and perfect. It is exactly what I needed. You know when something happens to you... and for once, you understand that it is supposed to happen at that exact moment? That's how I feel about my job right now. Life here was getting... a bit stuffy, a bit routine. Getting hired on at Beachcombers for 50+ hrs/week is definitely a big responsibility, but everything that comes with it is fantastic. I usually work the outside patio, which is 15 feet from the ocean and I get to see the red, pink, purple, orange, and yellow sunset every night. The people are, exactly what I needed. They are funny, so friendly, very supportive, and - comfortable. Being the oldest of four, I am very used to teasing and being teased. And as weird as this is, I miss it. The guys I work with do a great job at helping me out with that part... and the girls are just awesome. We had to work until almost 2AM the other night, and after we got done cleaning up the restaurant and polishing the "cutlery" (aka silverware) we were able to sit outside and each have a drink. It's just so cool that a group of 20-somethings from all around the world (England, Ireland, Germany, Australia, America, Slovenia, Canada, etc) are able to connect on such a basic, and familiar, level. Everyone, and everywhere, is so uniquely different - but I've realized that if you put a random group of 12 together on a gorgeous night somewhere in the world... and give them some wine, they'll get along just fine :)
So when I'm getting stressed about having to work 11 - 13 hour shifts, and my feet are killing me, and I wish that I was somewhere grabbing a beer instead... it's nice to look around and see people ordering the $140 seafood platter wearing nothing but swimming trunks and sunscreen. It's okay if everyone assumes I'm Canadian and asks what Provence I'm from, or looks at me strangely when I don't know what "serviette" means. I have people who will set out my cutlery when I forget, and who can explain to me the difference between a "lemon squash", a "lemonade", and a "lemon slice". I get a free meal every day and there's never a shortage of interesting conversations. Shout out to Barack Obama who has come up quiet frequently... him and the NY Jets for some reason...
... To working for the weekends, my friends. Or for me... Thursdays and Fridays!
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