On Destiny and The Things We Cannot Choose
Growing up Apostolic may have saved my life
(The following is a post from 18 Uncles.)
Since returning to Michigan, I’ve been bartending at one of my favorite restaurants once or twice a week. I was burnt out from staring at a computer and teaching English online for hours a day, needed some supplemental income as 18 Uncles is getting off the ground, and I truly enjoy the social aspects of the job. I worked at the same place in college or when I came home from Spain during the summers, the management is awesome, and writing is a lonely pursuit, so getting behind the bar is a nice way for me to get out of the house and talk to people.
The Anthony Bourdain influence has also led me to love the industry and the camaraderie that comes with busy restaurant work. We’re a team. We’re suited up and prepared to help one another get through the chaotic dinner rush, and then we all sit together afterward and bond. It’s been super fun.
But it’s not all light-hearted. Sometimes people over-indulge and need to be babysat.
Recently, late one busy Friday night, someone came to the bar who was clearly incapacitated, and the encounter left me in quiet contemplation. I haven’t been able to get the experience out of my mind.
