Breakfast Lessons

We had breakfast in the city this morning, at a national chain restaurant that's known for breakfast.

Our waitress was an older lady, a little on the gruff side, and she carried herself with a certain aggression. I'm sure you've met someone like her, with body language that shouts, "I'm the only one around here who works very hard. I hate my job, I hate my life and the sooner I'm done for the day, the better!"

She called everyone "hon" or "sweetie". I think her "hon" and "sweetie" were really code words for "A-hole" and "Bitch".

But there's another kind of waitress in a place like that. We saw her, too. She was probably someone's grandma. She moved a little slower, but she didn't swing the coffee pot around the room like a weapon, the way her coworker did. She smiled, instead of baring her teeth. Nothing insincere or passive-aggressive about her.

It's a fine example of two opposing outlooks on life. You can look at each person who crosses your path as yet another person who expects something from you (which you don't want to give) and is taking time away from what you really want to be doing.

Or you can smile and take the time to look them in the eye and live in the moment.