Happily, I truly enjoyed the experience! I met some wonderful people and I didn't drop the tray! Seriously, I felt very successful for not dropping that heavy tray! Those darned tall draft mugs are extremely heavy, you know. The mug itself is over a pound, but it gets really heavy when you add the draft!
So, I posted my happiness with my new endeavor on Facebook. It was one of those general "share the moment" posts that we see all over FB. You know the kind of post I mean. "I got a new puppy," "I colored my hair," or "I loved the new nail salon" types of posts are just for informational purposes used to share our world experiences with our friends and family. Our intentions are grins and giggles. Sometimes, they begin innocuous, enjoyable conversations. I tagged my oldest daughter because she's been a successful cocktail waitress in the past and I thought she would appreciate my experience, as well as my enjoyment of the new endeavor.
It seems like an innocent enough post, right? I received a few supportive responses and atta-girls from several friends and family. And, my daughter thought it was a hoot!
Well. It opened a can of worms.
I awoke yesterday to a personal Facebook message from a friend saying "Shame on you! Shame on you for lowering yourself like that! You are a teacher! You should know that you are better than this. Working in a bar is beneath you!" (Notice, I did not screenshot the message. I'm not going to "out" this person for the opinionated bigot that she just proved herself to be.)
She and I went back and forth for a little while about this. Finally, we had to agree to disagree and end the discussion. But, I guess I didn't meet her standards for friendship, because she de-friended me. Quite frankly, I'm not saddened by the loss of a so-called friend with such an imperious persona. I am, however, saddened that she has that worldview. I'm also saddened that she seemed to feel that I was, in some way, demeaning her in the process.
In a response to this. I wrote another post on Facebook.
I ended up received around 30-40 positive, supportive responses. And, we all seem to agree that no job is unimportant and all people who choose to work in any job deserve respect for that choice.
The whole little rant made me feel much better about society. Unfortunately, we all know that people exist who refuse to work a job they feel is "beneath" them. My own beloved mother supported me when I was young on a secretary's pay. In case you don't know, secretaries in the 70s did not make a lot of money. She taught me that being a secretary was honorable work and that no matter what job you do, you do your best. You work with what you have and (to paraphrase Tim Gunn) you make it work. I never really knew we were poor. (Thanks, Mom. You are awesome!)
She taught me to respect anyone who works hard. As a result, no matter what job I enjoy, I do my best at that job, no matter what it may be. The point is to have a good work ethic, no matter the job.
I recently met a man who holds an accounting degree working as a barista. I've met teachers who clean houses on the weekends, or waitress, or work at Pier 1. I knew a doctor who chose to work in restaurants as a chef rather than work in a hospital. By the way, he also had a band. He loved it!
"Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life." I've seen this attributed to Confucious, Marc Antony, Abe Lincoln, and even Henry Ford. No matter who first said it, it's a truth that we need to teach our children.
But, it's also true that employment well done (even if you don't enjoy it) pays more than sitting on a couch complaining about not having a job! If shame is to be allocated, shame on people who refuse to work because the job is "beneath" them.
No one is better than anyone else. However, I'll admit that I pity those who choose not to work because the job they can get doesn't meet their misguidedly high standards. Now THAT is a true shame.
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