Sunday, September 23, 2007

ME, SELF-WILLED?

Well, I have had a week ! It is always a good thing to actually be here to have a week, that being said though, I often wonder if I am in some way creating chaos in my own life. It seems that I go from famine to feast, from utter despair to infinite joy, from poverty to wealth (LOL). That is why I renamed my blog to ...Life as Lushgurl...

I am still enjoying my job. It is a very fast paced Deli, we must get over a hundred customers between 11:00 and 2:00. and there are two of us working in the Deli part, and over the last three weeks, we have found a way to be an incredible team. My co-worker, I'll call him Deli-dude, has been there for over four years now, for most of the four years he has done the job alone. He is quite young, at only 24 , but he has a strong dedication to the satisfaction of his customers. Deli-dude has a work ethic much like my own, he always puts the customers needs first, he is all about making the best sandwich in the least amount of time. He is not so big on the appearance of the Deli though, as we are often so busy that things get dropped on the floor, or we need to have something filled, and that is where I have found my niche. And then there is the boss/owner of the place...

The Deli is actually a part of a somewhat large corner store. The owner has been there for probably 20 years or so, and has become known in these here parts as THEE place to go for delicious food, served quickly. I think this man is some form of genious. Many corner stores offer a variety of over-priced items that one might run out of and not want to travel to a larger grocery store to get. But owner-guy tapped into the need for more in his quest for a successful life in Canada. At first glance, it may seem to be a Deli like any other, but you soon come to realize that this is no ordinary eatery. We must have about 20 different types of Deli meats, all sliced to order as a sanwich or a take home item. We also serve a variety of fresh, home made salads, muffins and desserts. What he is known for, is his chicken, bacon and avocado sandwich, topped with his own mixture of mustard/mayo and black pepper sauce. Every morning Deli-dude and I make up about 50 different sanwiches ahead of time for super quick grab-and-go access. These pre-mades always sell out within an hour, plus we have many regular patrons coming in for their own selections, and lots of new faces every day!

On Friday, Deli-dude did not come in to work. He starts an hour before I do, so by the time I arrive, all of the days' meats have been cut, the veggies for the sanwiches have been prepared, and he has begun to assemble the pre-mades. When I get there, I take care of making sure that the preparation area is clean and fully stocked. I make up a huge batch of sauce, sweep the floor, put random stuff away and make up a fresh batch of tuna salad. We work side by side preparing the pre-made sanwiches, the boss cuts our bread ( he primarily uses egg bread that we get fresh from the bakery in un-sliced loaves) and he serves the customers at the cash. The three of us run a pretty good thing all working together but separately, so when Deli-dude took an un-schedualed day off, the whole system was thrown out of whack. When I arrived at 10:00, none of the prep-work was done. We didn't have enough sauce made up to get the pre-mades ready, there had been no meats or bread cut for the daily customer orders and the Deli was a MESSS! Now, don't get me wrong, I am all about taking orders from the boss, however, Deli-dude and I have established a system that is quick, efficient and geared to the pleasure of our patrons...

I suppose Boss man has made his millions (?) by being money conscious, along with his special sandwich which is not sold anywhere else in the city of Ottawa... but I am a Deli-gurl at heart, and I know from experience that a little extra goes a long way in keeping the regulars happy as well as bringing in new customers and having them come back with their friends and families... Deli-dude, as I mentioned, has much the same work ethic as I, and Boss man worries about the bottom line, keepin costs down and profits up, and Deli-dude was not there on Friday! So I am doing my best to do all of the things that should have been done by the time I arrive, plus my own tasks, plus serving assorted customers as they arrive, plus make the pre-mades, and boss man is doing his best to serve people at the cash, cut the bread and critisize me for putting too much meat on the sandwiches, removing avocado and telling me in which order the sandwiches should be assembled! AAARRRRGGGGHHHH...

I am so thankful that I got to meet with my sponsor first thing on Saturday morning. She reminded me that I am not the boss of anything!!! Oh, and did I happen to mention that my 16 year old came home very drunk on Friday night??? This weekend I have been praying to let go of my need for control, the will to do His work better, and patience with those I must concede to! I wonder what today's Daily Reflection has to say ...

He {Bill W} said to me, gently and simply, "Do you think that you are one of us?"
Alcoholics Anonymous pg. 413- Third Edition

During my drinking life I was convinced I was an exception. I thought I was beyond petty requirements and had the right to be excused. I never realized that the dark counter-balance of my attitude was the constant feeling that I did not "belong". At first, in AA, I identified with others only as an alcoholic. What a wonderful awakening for me it has been to realize that, if human beings were doing the best they could, then so was I! All of the pains, confusions and joys they feel are not exceptional, but part of my life, just as much as anybody's.

So there you have it! I am planning to do the best I can today. I also want to say that I have visited only about a dozen of you from my friends links so far today, and I have more than forty!!! Who the heck PUT that many people there... Anyway, if I have not dropped by lately, I will do my best to get there within the next few days.... Love you all, and plan a great day!

18 comments:

Shadow said...

hey sweetie! that deli job sounds absolutely lovely. something i would love to do.

but ho boy, take one of the spokes out... it happens when we all have our little thing to do. when one of those things don't happen - chaos. but, that's all part of the fun, irritating or not, ain't it!

thanks for popping in! i'll be by to see what you are up to!!!

Mary Christine said...

Sorry to be an old woman here, but you are NOT being "controlling" when you don't want your teenage daughter coming home drunk - you are being a responsible mother. That's your job!

Scott W said...

I hope Deli-dude returns quickly. I would love food from there I am sure! That chicken, bacon and avocado sandwich sounds divine!

Granny said...

We had a deli like that half a block from where I lived in the city.

It was wonderful.

sharonsjourney said...

Thank you for the sweet comment, I love you too. Will read your post when I get back from my meeting, just wanted to thank you.

Love, Sharon

Syd said...

Hi there, sounds like a hectic job. You are a heck of a deli-girl for sure. Hope that after Friday night, things for the rest of the weekend calmed down.

sharonsjourney said...

Wow! You have quite a responsibilty! Sounds like a job I had where you had to be in sync with another person. I would definitely want you on my team. It's neat that you take pride in the place you work at, & your job! I don't think there are alot of employees like you, & delidude. Glad you got thru it. Sorry to hear about Angel. How did you handle it? Keep the faith, know that your HP has a purpose for you & Angel, & HE/SHE will watch over her. It's good to hear from you. Love you.

Gooey Munster said...

Stopping by to catch up on you. It is so important to be able to work as a team with a co worker. We spend so much time at work they are like family.

Healing can involve many others. It is like when a family member passes, somehow all experience this soul connecting embrace. I have experience this when I first began my journey and am attempting to do so once again.

Muah!

Recovery Road London said...

Lol- you can fill my sandwich anytime. **sorry. feeling cheeky today**

Hope you had a good weekend and have a great week.

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Namenlosen Trinker said...

You sound very happy in your new job. If I had a deli I'd hire you in a New York second!

Scott M. Frey said...

glad you're still enjoying the job, and it sounds like ya found your niche indeed! the restaurant biz is tough work, it put me through undergrad school.

I am with MC on this one, you just go right on ahead controlling your daughter's drinking, and when she's 18, you can go to al anon lol God Bless

Ava said...

You keep on hanging in there, woman! Stress is a terrible thing ... even good stress. You are doing a wonderful thing here and you just keep right on a truckin'!!!!

Judith said...

Hiya, LushGurl!

Hope you're still hanging in there. Your sandwiches made me hungry. Hope you check in soon. I miss ya!

Hugs!
Judith

sharonsjourney said...

Just checking in, miss you.

Recovery Road London said...

Just stopping by to say Hi.

x

Sober Steve said...

Hey Deli-gurl...Glad to be back. Will be back soon

Steve

Recovery Road London said...

Checking in to say hello...thinking of you...hope you're well.

x