Today, I was a mess.

     For those of you that don't know, I work at a restaurant as a host and expo. This week, I've worked six days straight, in which three of the days I worked were doubles/split shifts, including today. I had finally reached the point of no return when I woke up this morning feeling even worse than the past few days with my aching shoulder blade.

     On Thursday afternoon, I could feel a light throbbing pain when I would twist my neck and move my arm around. At first, I thought that it was because I slept on it wrong. When I clocked in to work later that evening, I realized that it was because of the dishes I would have to carry back to the kitchen. Honestly, readers, I'm pretty sure I lift about forty to fifty-five pounds, ten to fifteen times for four hours. The fact that I have to do this nine times a week, it's no wonder that it's finally starting to take a toll on my body, especially since I don't give my body time to recover due to my lack of sleep. Anyway, back to today.

     I should have seen it coming. At first, I was very unaware of my surroundings this morning that a sliver of light made me stumble because I thought that there had been something on the ground I would have tripped over. Then, I accidentally knocked over a soy sauce container and spilled it all over the table. Afterward, I dropped a soy sauce dish filled with soy sauce. To top the end of my first shift, we were discussing the various methods we have in carrying our glasses and how mine and my trainer's way of carrying them terrified a coworker. I should have expected this to foreshadow the events to come later this evening.

     When Meow Meow and I had come back to work from our break, we talked about how we could feel it getting worse throughout the evening. At the beginning of this shift, it was nice and steady. Ten minutes later, it had picked up and plates started to appear on the counter as I hauled ass to and from tables, hectically dropping off plates and trying to clear the counter from the cacophony of plated fish. I was in Hell. In the middle of the evening, I had gone over to a table to help my fellow coworker clear it off for another party. I stacked three glasses of two on my left hand, tightly hugged two towers of two with that left arm, and carried the the remaining stacked, two glasses with my right hand. Now, keep in mind, I have done this numerous times at this job and at the other restaurants I used to work at. I have never dropped a dirty dish...until today.

     As I gently glided across the floor and maneuvered my way around the crowds of people and table, I gently trip myself and drop the glasses under my death grip. Everything was moving in slow motion at this point. There was no saving me. As I bent down to help soften the landing of the glasses, I watched them slip away from my grasps and fall toward the ground. I did not look down. When they had shattered onto the floor, I paused, looked forward, stood up straight, looked over to my left down the long, never ending pathway of shame, and made direct eye contact with my manager as she was on the phone. Then I walked away and put the remaining glasses in the bus tub. Now, when these glasses crashed, it wasn't just some noise you hear in the corner. No. Instead, I was in the perfect spot in which it echoed throughout the entire restaurant loud and clear, for everybody to hear and witness. Four glasses didn't make it out this evening. It was a sad day.

     After the incident, the coworkers were kind enough to worry about me and were concerned about my safety. In reality, I was unaffected. I'm sure they knew that. My biggest concern were the customers around me that were affected by this debacle. Luckily, nobody made a big deal about it and I sure as hell did not as well.

     To top off this disastrous evening, I failed at lent by eating a piece of delicious, dark, beaned chocolate. If you are not a religious person nor have the understanding of certain religious practices, lent is the period of time when you give up something that is hard to let go for forty-six days. This year, I chose to give up sweets and desserts; so chocolates, soda, cookies, etc.

     Now, it was bad enough that I made a fool of myself and I failed at lent, but then I come home to Panda telling me:

Asian: ...I need to eat...

Panda: Oo, don't go in the kitchen...

Asian: ...Why...?

Panda: Well...

Asian: You didn't...

Panda: I'm sorry! Just don't look at it while you're cooking!

Asian: Are you kidding me?!?! I'm on LENT!

Panda: I know, but we ended up baking.

Asian: PANDA!!!

     When I entered the kitchen and flipped on the light, I turned around to see a plate full of big, puffy, thick chocolate chip cookies. I hated her. So much. I still do. My temptation to eat one was so strong, but my will to stay true to my word to God and myself was stronger. I will admit, though, I almost had a taste. Of course, that taste would have turned into several bites, which would have turned into a couple cookies, and then ended up with an empty plate. Why I chose to do something for lent, I will never know.

     We all have to go through embarrassment at some point in our lives, as well as failures. It's through these crises, though, that we learn the most from. In other words, I will never drop and break a plate again. At work, at least. As for lent...we'll see how that goes.

     Here's to more future adventures and experiences!



Sincerely,
An Asian