Change Someones Life...Give a Gift.

Help me understand something. Help me understand how two people can sit in a restaurant from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm and only order Diet Coke, hot tea an appetizer, two entree's and their check come to $40 and feel it is acceptable to tip only $12?

Mind you they sat in a booth meant to sit up to six people? Don't they realize that coffee shops are meant for meetings such as this? Let me let you all in on a little well, or not so well known secret. As a server we make $3.18 an hour. Which, at the end of the day, the tax man takes that all away, so we live off of the "generosity of mankind." We live off of TIPS! Yes, we don't get a paycheck like all of you that get to go out to lunch for business, we don't get a lunch break, we ARE your lunch break. Your $12 tip for the 4 hours that you sat there sir, has to pay for my power bill, my cable bill, my cell phone bill, gas to work, for those that use it...tolls, etc.

Most people in my industry are in it while going to college, they are paying their way through school, others are teachers, trying to supplement their income, some are single parents just trying to make a living. I am a college graduate making my way through life, until I cross my next bridge. I accept this is my job, and yes, I rightfully take the shortcomings that come with it, but let me remind you of this, if you are going to come into MY office and ask me to do MY job, I am going to ask you to pay me for my work. Just as I would if I were to go into a doctors office, I would pay my co-pay, I would pay for a dentist to clean my teeth, I would ask my interior decorator to match the dishes with the bowls. I am paying them to do THEIR job.

So, if anything, I am writing to tell you tonight to think about this, the next time you go out to eat. That person that is waiting on you is someones daughter or son, sister or brother. They are trying to pay their bills. They have probably been on their feet all day and night, all week, trying to write a paper that is due by Friday or make a payment in order to make sure the lights stay on. They might be trying to save up enough money to take their kids to see the new IMAX movie because they never get to spend quality time with them. I ask of you, think about how important that extra dollar or two is going to effect you or them. If it is really going to hurt your pocket, brown bag it!

On to the good stuff...Tonight's wine comes compliments of my dear friend Clark. Last week she brought it to my attention that I have been drinking a whole lot of red wine and she felt it was about time for me to drink a white. She showed up the next day with a beautiful bottle of VOGA Pinot Grigio. Now when I say a beautiful bottle, my friends, this bottle is so pretty in and of itself, it makes you just want to drink it.

I walked up to my boss Shannon today and in a cranky voice I told her that I didn't feel like drinking a white wine tonight. She then told me of a Pinot Grigio that was delicious that started with a V and had a really cool bottle. I stretched out my arms in excitement telling her this was the bottle, that I knew for a fact I was about to go home and have a better night than I did day.

Pinot Grigio is noted as being the most popular wine in Northern Italy. With the first sip I thought to myself, 'ahhh, a sweet end to a sour day.' I then really tried to see if I could figure out what flavors I was tasting. I guess you could say, I was trying to figure out, if I was catching on to this wine thing yet, or if I was just becoming a drunk. I tasted, pear and apple. It was a simple and sweet flavor. Then while doing my research on the wine, the flavor profile, said, "Full and rich with fresh ripe apple and pear aromas and delicious juicy flavors." Hum, maybe I am catching on.

I paired tonight's wine with potato porgies from, where else??? Whole Foods, along with some fresh Mozzarella. Oh, and you know what I splurged and got on my way home tonight, Andes mints. They are in the freezer right now!

So, as I end a very sour day, a very hard day, a very long day, with thoughts of how great my friends are, how sweet and right Shannon is/was. I leave you all with this, gifts come in many ways, they are ideas, they are expressions, they are a nudge in the right direction, they put a smile on your face, they help you move from one day to the next. I ask you all, tomorrow, give someone you know, someone you love, someone you just met a gift, you don't know how it will change their life.

Cheers!