Food for Thought

There is something to be said about loving what you do for a living. Case in point, there is a small deli in the basement of our building where I work. On occasion, I frequent said deli. There is a woman who works there, she prepares the sandwiches or hot plate that you order. What I love about this woman is that she is very precise and meticulate about how she prepares the food. It's almost an art form! I watch her as she cuts just so and pours just enough of whatever topping we have requested. She doesn't just go through the motions. She takes her time but is quick about it, she will even break out in song at times, and she takes pride in what she does. You're going to think I'm crazy (eh, ok I left myself wide open for that!) but the food tastes much better when she makes it. One day I went down there and she was nowhere to be found. Instead, someone else helped me. She was very cold and she just slapped the meat on the plate, no idle chatter either. Didn't even wish me a good day or a smile for god sake! And when I tasted what she had prepared for me, it did not taste as good as Tracy's food. Really! Later that same week, I went back to the deli and this time Tracy was there. I told her about that day and how the food didn't taste the same and she said it was because "so and so" didn't prepare it with any TLC. "You gotta give the food a little tender lovin' care, puddin!" Hmm, she was right of course! That prompted me to remember a time when I was little (no short jokes please!). My mom would make dinner for us all the time right? Well one day, the lady that cleaned our house had to make dinner because my mom was running late. We ate the food but it tasted bland and just, cold. And not in the sense that it needed to be heated some more either! I remember telling my mom about it and she smiled and said it was because she didn't make it with "amor" which means love. And she was right. When we are doing something we love, or doing something for someone we love, we are extra carful with our creation. This can also apply to our career, or love life, or even our hopes and dreams. Sprinkle them with a dash of care and a smidgen of love and the result will be finger licking good!

I hope all of you encounter someone like Tracy in your life. And not just in a deli either.