Warming Up To Your Job

I work in a fast-food restaurant that has table service. One wintry day, I bring a tray full of food to a table where a mother and two children are seated. I’ve got a pleasant song stuck in my head, so I’ll admit to having a bit of a sway in my step.

The mother stops me before I can leave the table.

Mother: “What is wrong with you?”

Me: “Excuse me?”

Mother: “Why are you in a good mood?”

Me: “Because I love my job?”

Mother: “You shouldn’t be loving your job! [Fast Food Restaurant] is the hellhole that people fall into when they don’t continue their education! You’re supposed to be an example of what happens!”

Me: “Oh, I 100% am an example of what happens. You get to spend several hours of every workday surrounded by the smell of delicious food. You’re constantly on your feet, which is doing WONDERS for my figure and my stamina. You get to interact with your coworkers and help each other instead of having them be distant voices or faceless names in a chatroom. When your shift ends and you’re hungry, you’re right there in a place that sells delicious food that you can eat for free. And when you arrive on a cold snowy day, you get to go straight into a room full of machines that are literally designed to heat things up.”

Child #1: “I wanna work at [Fast Food Restaurant]!

Child #2: “Yeah!”

Their mother looked OUTRAGED as I headed back into the kitchen with a smile on my face.