I hung up my waiter apron on Wednesday.
Well, technically, I just added it to the to-be-washed pile of laundry at the winery, instead of bringing it home with me like I have for the past two years.
It was a bittersweet moment. Even though being a waiter wasn't what I wanted to be when I grew up…or even use as a tagline under my name…I've spent most of my weekends there for the past two years, and even some weekdays for the last few months.
It's such a beautiful place, like being in Italy. I had never been a waiter before and enjoyed the adventure of learning something new, meeting people, tasting amazing food, and enjoying a glass of wine at the end of many shifts.
When I started there, it was a breath of fresh air, such a contrast from my weekday job stuck at a computer in front of three monitors for seven hours, with only two other people to talk to and very little conversation.
But lately, by the end of the day (and sometimes for days afterward) my knees and back have ached, because it's a job where I was on my feet for six to seven hours, where the only chance to sit down was a quick bathroom break, and where I wasn't making nearly enough money to make a dent in our debt.
Still…it was tough to let go of a paycheck, however small, when I may be facing several dry months as a newbie realtor trying to find my footing in the real estate world.
But that meant I would have to commit to a work schedule a month or two ahead of time, and even though I don't know much about the world of real estate yet, I do know that, to be successful, I'll need to remain flexible with my time, able to meet a client at a moment's notice.
That for-sure paycheck would probably cost me more money in the long run because of missed opportunities.
So Wednesday was it.
I asked Jessie, the sous chef, for one last (free) roasted veggie platter…
…said my goodbyes and thank-yous when the work day was done, indulged in one last (free) glass of wine, dropped my apron in the basket…
…and faced my new adventure with an added incentive to be successful in a hurry.
I can't afford to be anything less.
"Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small steps."
~David Lloyd George, former Prime Minister of England
Have you crossed any chasms lately?
Or is one looming ahead of you, but you're afraid to take that big leap?
Long Hollow 
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