Except for a lucky few, most of us do not make a living writing blogs.
We usually have a job or multiple ones that keep the pot boiling.
Besides
running my concierge business which is still a work in progress, for
the past 13 years most of my income came from my work as a waiter in a
single restaurant.
13 years in one place is a long time, it makes you sound like a dinosaur.
I was there before it opened when you wonder if everything will be ready to go on that magic day.
I was there long enough to see very young children turn into teenagers and slightly older ones into young adults.
I saw others loose loved ones to accidents or sickness.
Some of the repeat customers become like family in a sense.
All this came to a halt on August 25th which was my last day there.
I was terminated for not offering a bar menu to a table.
Staying a long time in the same place brings comfort, a sense of familiarity.
You might not be still there for the same reasons that you came aboard originally.
It can be like staying in a relationship because the alternatives are not that palatable.
You can fall out of love with the place where you work in the same way that you fall out of love with a person.
It's been a week now since I experienced that loss.
I have started to think of the road ahead while worrying about financial issues.
There might still be some restaurant work in my future.
I could see wine related activities as another branch.
It could be with a wine shop, a distributor, an importer.
I am passionate about authentic food, cheese and wine so the shoe will have to fit.
I could also put my French to work and help companies from French speaking countries who are creating a presence in the US.
Will 4 years of writing a blog like this one bring opportunities I cannot think of, time will tell?
And there is also the concierge service where all I need is a few steady clients.
To conclude I see my future occupations as multiple, a more balanced portfolio.
Change is hard and necessary at times.
In moments of doubt, I will always remember the greatest compliment I received in my 13 years at this restaurant.
A
lady approached me and thanked me for making some Sunday dinners that
her now deceased parents had in my company shine brighter.
Worth more than a pile of money.
I did love the faithful band of customers that I had built over the years.
I will miss them.
In any case life goes on, sometimes with bumps in the road.
I am open to suggestions…