Four Charms and Counting

Since the plate spinning began back on January 23rd, Chuck and I have been on the road a great deal. We’ve also been out and about at odd hours, finding ourselves in need of a quick meal. Sometimes dining out is a treat; a change from routine and an opportunity to enjoy food you wouldn’t necessarily prepare at home. Sometimes it’s just fuel for the humans, like gasoline for the automobile. But over these last four weeks, there have been a few times when we have eaten in casual restaurants, at a leisurely pace, near the end of a long day and used the time to decompress. On each of these occasions, we have been fortunate enough to have been taken care of by exceptional waitstaff. Each one of them managed to strike the delicate balance between being attentive, without being intrusive. We began to collect their names. We repeat them as if they are charms on a silver bracelet or charms like spells, to keep the good news flowing for our loved ones. There was Mandy in Leominster, Jay in Warwick, Blake in Cambridge and Kathy in Framingham. All four did exactly what we needed them to do in their jobs as waitstaff. But if it had been just that, they wouldn’t have stood out the way they have. No, all four seemed to truly enjoy their jobs. All four seemed to genuinely care about us as customers and as human beings. All four of them had an easy smile and a ready laugh.


Mandy, Jay, Blake and Kathy - thank you.