LEAPING OFF THE LADDER

Leaping off the (Management) ladder, I began working full-time day-shift as a waitress in an independently owned and operated Café where I live.  I feel like I happened into this position by being referred by a current employee whom is well thought of there.  I had never worked in any other restaurants willing to give me a Monday through Friday day-shift schedule. 

I left a very lucrative retail management position where I was in charge to wait tables in this Café.  What was the difference in the jobs? Plenty. Schedule, stress and pressure, quality of life, the atmosphere, the goods I would be selling, my role (being in charge vs, not), management and of course pay. I had made my pros and cons list and took a leap of faith.

My first week I was scared to death.  An industry I hadn’t worked in for over a decade and a training pay of minimum wage.  But the people! Not only is the management super helpful but also the guests are lovely! I’m not sure that this transition would have gone so well somewhere else. My first day training one of my managers told me I was doing a good job. It sent me reeling on a natural high for hours! I remember later in the day asking myself why I was still reeling from this and it hit me that I had not had praise from my retail boss in quite some time. My retail job was all-consuming and I barely ever got an “atta girl”. I devoted myself to my position and my store and just got asked for more and more.  There came a time where I was empty, nothing more to give.  This is the “emotional bank account” that a previous manager has told me about. We have to deposit in order to withdrawal.

A few weeks into it I wondered if I made the right decision.  I was told I could make close to what I was making in my current salaried position, and I was maybe at half of that.  I showed up every day, with a good attitude. At first, I noticed I wasn’t scheduled for the “prime” shifts.  I got scared, nervous. I was able to put more time into my true passion, writing, but that wasn’t paying any bills.  I actually managed to self-publish one of the children’s books about my wiener dog that I had written over a decade ago.  That has to count for something, right?  I did break even or maybe even a little ahead with my first book (so far) but that still wasn’t paying the bills.  I talked to management, who said they would work to get me scheduled more for the “prime” shifts.  I worked on my “Daisy books” in my downtime and kept going. 

I am now a few months into it and I am still undecided on whether or not I made the right decision.  I am having fun in my current position.  I have built relationships with customers that are now my regulars.  I have had a few that bought a “pawtographed” book from me. I enjoy my early shifts (I hate the world at 4:35 when my alarm goes off, but I love it at 2:30 when I am done for the day). I enjoy most of the people that I work with. Unfortunately, none of those good feelings pay the bills. 

At this point, I have nothing left to do but to keep going on.  I am excited to have more time for my family and my writing but I am afraid this “daydream” will end soon and I will find myself in need of another “big girl job”.  For now, I am taking it day-by-day in hopes that all of my hard work eventually pays off.