When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful,
A miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily,
Joyfully, playfully watching me.
But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible,
Logical, responsible, practical.
And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
Clinical, intellectual, cynical.
A miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily,
Joyfully, playfully watching me.
But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible,
Logical, responsible, practical.
And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
Clinical, intellectual, cynical.
There are times when all the world's asleep,
The questions run too deep
For such a simple man.
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
But please tell me who I am.
The questions run too deep
For such a simple man.
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
But please tell me who I am.
Now watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical,
Liberal, fanatical, criminal.
Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're
Acceptable, respectable, presentable, a vegetable!
Liberal, fanatical, criminal.
Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're
Acceptable, respectable, presentable, a vegetable!
At night, when all the world's asleep,
The questions run so deep
For such a simple man.
It may have come out in the late seventies but is pretty relevant today.
Number one it brings back memories of my senior year in high school when the album came out and number two reminds me of my best friend at the time, Denise. Forty years later and we are still close friends. We don't see each other as much but lucky for us are in constant contact via social media and texting.
There are very few people who have been my friend but now aren't.
That's why they are called friends.
Webster's defines a friend as : A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
That's my measurement of the word and has worked pretty well for me for almost fifty six years.
Oh, that's Denise on the top and me holding her left leg! Out of this group am still in contact with five of them.
That's friendship, and this world is in desperate need of it.
But when I heard that song on the radio today it meant so much more to me.
We've turned into a world of finger pointers, accusers and blamers...but the finger never seems points to yourself.
Instead of pointing with our finger, should be holding out our entire hand out, palm up and inviting for someone else to hold... who needs it.
One of the many many things I've learned about fine dining during my tenure at the airport as a server is never show the back of your hand to a customer, while pointing something out, serving or taking away an item. Instead show them with the back of your hand down, palm up like you are inviting instead of palm down like you're telling.
It may sound stupid if you've never been a server but makes perfect sense to me. Always be inviting, never be demanding.
This world is much too cynical and not nearly compassionate enough.
There will always be people who cling to government programs, assistance and avenues of not towing the line for themselves but do you think those people will ever be successful or move up in life? Will they ever live in a really nice place they can call their own and prosper?
No they won't, but they are still humans and is not for me to decide which path for them to choose. They may have children who don't have any other option if we don't help them. They didn't ask for dead beat parents but I will still hold my hand out every time, palm up and inviting, with every tax I pay.
I've been poor, we were for over five years and it wasn't fun but was a lesson we needed to learn.
It was a lesson all three of my kids needed to learn and glad they did at an early age but old enough to remember.
I was getting ready for work the other day and caught the last thirty minutes of The Pursuit of Happyness. I've seen it before but a movie worth always watching again.
...and I thought we were down on our luck? Kudos to Will Smith's son, he did an awesome job in his role.
If you want happiness, sometimes you have to pursue it. If you want it bad enough will be well worth the pursuit.
Pursuit is defined by Webster's as "The act of striving".
Webster's defines Strive as "To exert much effort or energy".
It's pretty simple... we did just what Webster's defined for us to do for our happiness.
Not one of our three kids ever once complained about our situation. I think it got to a point where they all three simply felt grateful they still had a roof over their heads. They heard my husband and me have heated discussions behind our bedroom door and sometimes at the dinner table. They saw us grow apart yet we always remained together.
I think it taught all three of them to never give up or ever walk away from a challenge. A challenge is the test of one's abilities or resources, and we had both.
It started as a dribble but turned into a flood. I'm a pretty decent person, my husband is a person I could never imagine someone not liking and never once did we ever give up. We had so much help it would have been embarrassing if not so desperately needed AND still to this day appreciated. We rolled past the humiliation and gave thanks we were loved.
Then I got the greatest job a server could ever dream of and shortly after my husband started ground floor for a huge company and within a year's time started to move up. Then he moved up again and halfway across the country for almost two years. Then he moved up again and down to Orlando, where our oldest son had moved and my brother lives as well.
I'm staying here with my fantastic job until Labor Day and then loading up and bringing us all back together in Orlando to see what our future will bring.
It could be all taken away from us again but not thinking about that until or if it does. And if it does, at least know what to do...once again.
Strive and pursue.
If only the rest of the world thought like I did, It'd be a better place.
Instead, we worry about tearing each other apart for religious views (radicals aren't practicing true religion) and sexual orientation (which is NOT chosen but disposed at birth).You have to be right wing or left wing.
Total nonsense.
You are either a good person or a bad person.
Believe it or not, we should all live by The Golden Rule and this world would be a better place.
Doesn't even need to be Bible related, it's simply Karma. What goes around comes around.
As my time quickly winds down at the world's busiest airport, am scared out of my wits about finding a job like I have now.
Maybe I need to take a step back and think about making myself as good a wife and mother as I am a server.
One shift and not including the extra cash I made. It was only seven hours long.
I told my manager tonight after printing out my check out...
"I don't even know if I am that good of a person but one thing I am good at is being a server. I own this job, am great at this job and a total asset to this company." It took me months and months of hard work to achieve this level of compensation but have totally earned it, in my book.
I'm also doing what I have to do now, walk away and simply turn the page.
Jed, aka my husband moved halfway across the country for over a year by himself to move up in his new job and has moved up and up again. (Granny aka me) stayed home booming it out at the airport and just like that (after two years) we're almost back on top.
Life is a game. Life is a gamble. More importantly, you get out of life what you what you put into it.
We've put in our all and done our best.
It's time to stop now and smell the roses.
I love the way roses smell, and our life has never been sweeter.
Good things come to those who wait.
I'm going to rock my job until Labor Day and savor every shift and moment. Many of my coworkers are already saying how much they'll miss us Cottons, or maybe it's just my bag of daily snacks they will miss more. One of the servers recently nicknamed me "Snax". I've made some really good friends at the airport, will miss them tremendously but once you're a friend of mine you're my friend for life and will always stay in touch with you.
I rocked out another shift tonight and just like that, my last table was a single lady dining alone. Huge floppy hat, very quiet and soft spoken. Like the idiot I am, didn't recognize her.
Several of the other servers said "That's the chick who plays Michonne on The Walking Dead". I'm a huge fan but the woman was so quiet and demure I wasn't sure... until she gave me her credit card to pay her tab.
Shut The Front Door!
After she had dinner, asked if we served mint hot tea? I told her we were out of it (this week has been rendunkulously busy) but once again, my Fifth Group training prompted me to "Be passionate about allowing customers to experience joy while dining" and offered her the option of a tea pot filled with hot water and fresh mint. She said that would be wonderful.
BINGO!
Once I had gone above and beyond (and all tables around her left) asked if she would mind taking a picture with me?
I'll never have a job like this again, but am going to enjoy the crap out of this one until Labor Day.
Til next time... COTTON
I was getting ready for work the other day and caught the last thirty minutes of The Pursuit of Happyness. I've seen it before but a movie worth always watching again.
If you want happiness, sometimes you have to pursue it. If you want it bad enough will be well worth the pursuit.
Pursuit is defined by Webster's as "The act of striving".
Webster's defines Strive as "To exert much effort or energy".
It's pretty simple... we did just what Webster's defined for us to do for our happiness.
Not one of our three kids ever once complained about our situation. I think it got to a point where they all three simply felt grateful they still had a roof over their heads. They heard my husband and me have heated discussions behind our bedroom door and sometimes at the dinner table. They saw us grow apart yet we always remained together.
I think it taught all three of them to never give up or ever walk away from a challenge. A challenge is the test of one's abilities or resources, and we had both.
It started as a dribble but turned into a flood. I'm a pretty decent person, my husband is a person I could never imagine someone not liking and never once did we ever give up. We had so much help it would have been embarrassing if not so desperately needed AND still to this day appreciated. We rolled past the humiliation and gave thanks we were loved.
Then I got the greatest job a server could ever dream of and shortly after my husband started ground floor for a huge company and within a year's time started to move up. Then he moved up again and halfway across the country for almost two years. Then he moved up again and down to Orlando, where our oldest son had moved and my brother lives as well.
I'm staying here with my fantastic job until Labor Day and then loading up and bringing us all back together in Orlando to see what our future will bring.
It could be all taken away from us again but not thinking about that until or if it does. And if it does, at least know what to do...once again.
Strive and pursue.
If only the rest of the world thought like I did, It'd be a better place.
Instead, we worry about tearing each other apart for religious views (radicals aren't practicing true religion) and sexual orientation (which is NOT chosen but disposed at birth).You have to be right wing or left wing.
Total nonsense.
You are either a good person or a bad person.
Believe it or not, we should all live by The Golden Rule and this world would be a better place.
Doesn't even need to be Bible related, it's simply Karma. What goes around comes around.
As my time quickly winds down at the world's busiest airport, am scared out of my wits about finding a job like I have now.
Maybe I need to take a step back and think about making myself as good a wife and mother as I am a server.
One shift and not including the extra cash I made. It was only seven hours long.
I told my manager tonight after printing out my check out...
"I don't even know if I am that good of a person but one thing I am good at is being a server. I own this job, am great at this job and a total asset to this company." It took me months and months of hard work to achieve this level of compensation but have totally earned it, in my book.
I'm also doing what I have to do now, walk away and simply turn the page.
Jed, aka my husband moved halfway across the country for over a year by himself to move up in his new job and has moved up and up again. (Granny aka me) stayed home booming it out at the airport and just like that (after two years) we're almost back on top.
Life is a game. Life is a gamble. More importantly, you get out of life what you what you put into it.
We've put in our all and done our best.
It's time to stop now and smell the roses.
I love the way roses smell, and our life has never been sweeter.
Good things come to those who wait.
I'm going to rock my job until Labor Day and savor every shift and moment. Many of my coworkers are already saying how much they'll miss us Cottons, or maybe it's just my bag of daily snacks they will miss more. One of the servers recently nicknamed me "Snax". I've made some really good friends at the airport, will miss them tremendously but once you're a friend of mine you're my friend for life and will always stay in touch with you.
I rocked out another shift tonight and just like that, my last table was a single lady dining alone. Huge floppy hat, very quiet and soft spoken. Like the idiot I am, didn't recognize her.
After she had dinner, asked if we served mint hot tea? I told her we were out of it (this week has been rendunkulously busy) but once again, my Fifth Group training prompted me to "Be passionate about allowing customers to experience joy while dining" and offered her the option of a tea pot filled with hot water and fresh mint. She said that would be wonderful.
BINGO!
Once I had gone above and beyond (and all tables around her left) asked if she would mind taking a picture with me?
I'll never have a job like this again, but am going to enjoy the crap out of this one until Labor Day.
Til next time... COTTON
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