Upon my early May graduation from Auburn, I eagerly awaited my “dream corporate” job I had anticipated for so long. I am aware of the oxymoronic irony of that catchphrase, but I really thought that was the ticket to success. I had seen my parents and generations before them work tirelessly for mediocre jobs that eventually led to the job. You know, the job that provides the financial security. The job that makes you feel like a real adult—whatever that means.
I packed up my college life and moved to downtown Nashville 48 hours after walking across the stage, diploma in hand. I had not a clue what the fuck I was doing, but I figured it wouldn’t take long for me to get stabilized. Little did I know real life is far from stable, especially without the lovely buffer of college’s alluring independence factor. The “I can go out on a Tuesday” and only have to worry about logging onto Zoom in the morning days will be missed.
One September morning I was standing in my kitchen hovering over the Indeed job board page like the entirety of my life depended on it. I had applied to hundreds of jobs, both corporate and service industry because I was eager to showcase my work ethic. That following day, after countless days of ruminating and doom scrolling on Indeed and LinkedIn, I received an inquiry about a serving job. A week later, I started as a waitress at a New Mexican restaurant in Franklin, Tennessee. This perplexed family, friends and co-workers; I would get asked “Why don’t you work in downtown Nashville?” Short answer is: Have you ever been on Broadway? Long answer is: someone was willing to take a chance on me and I was ready to run with it.
The service industry shows you just a little bit of everything, and then some. Inevitably, I learned essential customer service skills, maximized my multi-tasking abilities and dropped lots of tortilla chips. However, what really resonates with me is what I learned about people. The regular customers dining in, momentarily escaping the chaos of their personal lives. My coworkers, their strong dedication and drive, despite external battles. My superiors and managers, kicking ass at managing a group of unhinged and sarcastic employees (myself included, obviously).
The relationships I have formed in this restaurant have transformed my mindset and taught me the importance of effective teamwork, responsibility and community. Each person we encounter teaches us something new and provides us with a new perspective. So, while I am grateful for the learning experiences of the job itself, what will carry on with me is the human connection I have developed in the process. These people know exactly who they are and in respect of anonymity, they shall remain unnamed, but I will forever be indebted to them for how they have shown me compassion, genuineness and remarkable strength.
My message here is: surround yourself with people who encourage you, hold you accountable, but most of all, embrace you fully. I never thought the silly little girl dancing in her childhood kitchen would feel comfortable and loved enough to carry on that authentically annoying side of herself to new strangers in life. We’re talking dance parties during closing shifts level of comfort—not kidding.
While I am not fulfilling my dreams quite yet, I am eternally grateful for the impact these individuals have left on my heart. As I prepare to write a new chapter of my life, I have a deep appreciation for all this job and these people have taught me. I sincerely hope to carry on the perseverance, drive, love and kindness they radiate to the world. So, yes, in short, this is how queso and tacos altered my perspective and changed me for the better.