A Splendid Day?

Well!  This is an exciting post, for it is the first one where I have been directly challenged by one of you, to do my thinking and challenge some assumption I have.

As you may have gathered in previous posts, my summer job before heading out to JVC is washing dishes at a fancy restaurant on Long Island.  Not exactly a glamorous job, nor even a very desirable one by many people who I know.  I scrape leftover, half eaten food off plates before repeatedly loading and re-loading the dishmachine, stacking and re-stacking plates and kitchen utensils, checking and re-checking racks.  Empty a garbage can, check back a minute later, empty another one.  Square plates, rectangular plates, little square plates, bowls, other bowls... etc. etc.

Basically, I lift things up, I put them down. (something along these lines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOSeOieLh7s ).  Which means my back is absolutely shot by the end of the day, especially after a 12 hour shift.  I am drenched in dirt soapy dishwater through all my layers, and smell like ass, if not something more exotically awful.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not ungrateful.  I don't even dislike the job, as a matter of fact, I enjoy it!  Good hard work is always something to be proud of, and I like having a mission and schedule for the day.  

Here is where the challenge comes in.  About halfway through my shift today, I got a text from a very good friend of mine wishing me a "splendid day," with a smiley face for added effect.  I laughed to myself as I read it and replied with something to the effect of, "while dishwashing for minimum wage can not ever really be considered 'splendid,' I'm having the closest equivalent to that in dishwashing terms"- in other words, a wise ass remark (classic Mike).  This friend replied that, while they may never have washed dishes, and cannot really speak with much authority, they have found in their own experiences that, "it is little things that make seemingly unpleasant things splendid."

Well. Shit.  Classic inspirational and challenging text in the middle of my "look how hard I work and how much I know about life" rant.  So, as I sit at home now, after a long day, with sore muscles and a tired mind, I have decided to reflect back on my day, looking for those little things.

First.  I was given a breakfast sandwich by one of the chef's without having to ask.  A bacon, egg, and cheese rocks - from a fancy restaurant, even more so.  But really, what was so awesome about this was that I didn't even have to ask.  The chef's thought of me, remembered that I work hard with them, and took care of me as a result.  it was an affirmation of my own welcomeness and acceptance into this particular community, something that I am really grateful for.  Easily one of the most difficult things about starting a new job is meeting the new people, breaking into what essentially amounts to an already established family.  Regardless of how dysfunctional this family is, it is still hard to be an outsider.  

Second.  For about two hours during my shift today, I was assigned to wash the owners boat.  Which, was fricken awesome.  Working outside, shoes off, on the water and in the sun with a great breeze.  C'MON!  I was loving it.  Sure I was soaking wet and tired, but it was just a slight change of pace from the back room of the restaurant that I was really grateful for the change of scenery, even if it meant scrubbing and re-scrubbing a boat I'll never use for two hours.  

Third.  A lady fell off the dock today into the water.  Now, maybe this isn't that funny and is really a sick case of schadenfreude, but it was a great part of m day!  Just seeing something funny and different made me laugh and enjoy how silly life can be, how silly we can be.  (For the record, no one was hurt in the making of this silly little moment - except maybe an ego).

Fourth.  When one of my fellow dishwashers (who only speaks Spanish) was heading over for the day, he came over and give me a good old hug.  He calls me "Big Guy," pronounced "Beeg Eye," something I find amusing since nearly all of the Hispanics I have ever worked with (which is quite a few) call me that. He gave a hug and said "amigo!" with a big smile and a laugh.  I can barely communicate with this man.  Literally, I maybe understand about 10 of the words he speaks, getting by the rest of the time on hand gestures and intuition.  But we take care of each other, making sure the other has water while we work, or gets their lunch order placed, or gets a cold beer at the end of the night.  It was cool to hear that word, "amigo."

There are more moments.  There always are.  In the grand scheme of my day, those moments were tiny, small blips on the map.  They  are insignificant compared to the rest of my day, which is filled with much more activity and angst and roughness.  But on the flip side, it is those little moments that make the whole thing worth it.  not just work, but life.  Those little moments that I normally miss, or let float by, it is those that do bring significant joy and meaning to my life.  I know there are countless other little moments, even in this day that I have missed.

This isn't to say that washing dishes can't be considered a crappy job.  This isn't to say that the world is actually chock-full of rainbows and sunshine, because that just isn't true.  the world can be a tough place, a tiring place, even a hostile place.  But we can choose (and that, I think, really is the key here), to see those other moments, those little blips, and to live for those.  To continually seek them out and bring them to others.

I would like to thank my friend for bringing up this reflection for me.  It has re-affirmed something that I truly believe, but often have difficulty living out.