I have decided I'm definitely not going to keep this cocktail waitress job for long. I've learned incredibly-valuable lessons from it . . . lessons for which I am very thankful. At the same time, every time I enjoy the pristine outdoors and inhale, I can only smell the odor of so many casino ashtrays and realize how deadly this cocktail waitress position will become over time.Interestingly -- this is the first minimum wage position (actually $1/hour below the state minimum wage: given that Independent Nations own the casino and do not have to follow U.S. Government guidelines for pay) that I have ever worked. Low pay in itself has been a valuable lesson. I have felt horrorified to learn how many people living in this abundant U.S. do NOT tip for high quality service; even when I have regularly engaged them and left them laughing when I sauntered away from their gambling machine with a smile of my own.
Strangely - as I observe the women (I specify the gender because there are no male cocktail waitresses where I work) who have served the casino for more than 5 years regularly seem very hostile and bitter. I have failed to find any semblance of kindness in many of them; in fact have found it difficult not to feel scathed by their ongoing acts of cruelty. Wielding those little cocktail umbrellas as a sword for self defense has offered very little protection.
A handful of experienced servers were very kind (thankfully) but my experiences of being at the receiving end of harassment has made me feel a very strong empathy for the lowest wage earners in our society.
If everybody could just do something they love for a living (e.g., if the bitter cocktail waitresses could find employment they actually enjoyed) all of Earth would be a much kinder-happier place. Meanwhile, I've realized that many of this nation's employees feel very STUCK in their employment due to debt they've incurred. This is the best reason I know of NEVER utilizing a credit card or buying goods that cannot be purchased with cash. Nobody wants to become a slave to THINGS that decay and need to be replaced with time.
Through my many years of raising three children as a single parent (and refusing to use a credit card) I have learned how to have a very good time for FREE. Being debt free {except for the house payment} these days means I am not obligated to work outside of my home . . . Because I am happily remarried to Doug (who works full time) I am free to write freelance, do psychic readings and perform house clearnings no matter how slow or fast my income might be.
May you, dear reader, also feel the freedom to pursue that which you love. May you also be willing to take risks: to experience life's opportunities and learn lofty lessons from them. May you be DEBT FREE; if not today . . . then in a short amount of time.
