Staying out of the weeds

Welcome, all!

My name is Danielle and my new bff has helped me with more than just a new fashion statement.

Since I’ve been back in the Seattle area, I’ve really come to love waiting tables and tapping into the waters of bartending.

Shawn O’Donnell’s has been an incredible family run business to work for. My bosses are hard working, compassionate, understandable, flexible… and I’ve learned so much more from my coworkers than I ever thought I would! 🍀

Meet Johnny: a bartender I work with and the gentleman whose style I’ve replicated (first as a joke, but then my bosses said it could be my new uniform and that meant no more black polos- thank GOD, those shirts are not flattering on me). He also reassured me that I didn’t have to learn an Irish accent on the first day I walked into my new job, a concern of mine as soon as I heard his thick Irish roots.

Shawn and Molly, my bosses, have really fostered a welcoming and hard working crew of people to represent their family name in this industry and I am so honored to be a part of it.

Why?

Because these folks are really good at what they do and are really happy with what they do! I strive to be like that, regardless of where God has me at the time. For the time being, that means staying put and saving money as a waitress and learning more tips and tricks behind the bar.

But I never thought that waiting tables would help my social and emotional spiritual well-being as much as it has.

For pretty much the entirety of my life, like pretty much everyone else I’ve grown up with, I’ve known what it’s meant to be a student-athlete, looking forward to achieving future goals.

“I can’t wait until college!”

“I can’t wait until my first meet!”

“I can’t wait to live off campus!”

“I can’t wait to graduate!”

“I can’t wait to be healthy!”

“I can’t wait until grad school!”

When I started waiting tables, I found myself doing the same thing..

“I can’t wait to wait tables!”

“I can’t wait to start school again!”

“I can’t wait to be able to afford my own place!”

I don’t want that. I don’t want to be in a perpetual dance of trying to enjoy the present while constantly focusing on the “next best thing…”

Which changed a lot for me, considering my vocation and current “end goals” when it comes to that vocation.

A mentor of mine calls it “staying out of the weeds.”

I can’t be thinking about the next things I’m going to do, constantly thinking of the future, nor dwelling on things of the past to help me in this second, right now: the present moment. The present moments which, if I live into moment by moment, will make the process of achieving my “end goals / vocation” so much more valuable.

Because instead of being bombarded by anxiety as I look too far forward or look too far back and watching the present moments pass by, enjoying the present moments as they come will be so much more pleasant to look back on and find important.

I’ve got to keep “staying out of the weeds:” staying present-focused and taking the time right now, as a waitress and bartender, for what it is.

And that mind set has been so fruitful and life giving thus far. There is a lot to learn from the community in this environment and type of customer service.

I mean there’s always going to be those few people that take advantage of you or are super high maintenance or won’t tip or voluntarily take a shot of the malt vinegar and vomit all the way through the dining hall to the bathroom (yes, that actually happened 🙄), but those folks are far outweighed by the others that are generous, kind, patient and understanding, and gracious when I forget to bring them a side dish or refill their drink.

This experience has given me some amazing friends and mentors, and those relationships have been a grand answered prayer since I made the decision to move back here.

They keep me living presently; they help “keep me out of the weeds.”

I hope that you have a means to also stay out of the “weeds,” whether that includes family, friends, a hobby, a sense of community, faith, etc…

Because I sure as hell would much rather stay out of the weeds than be perpetually bogged down by the ever growing, sticky, annoying, unpredictable greens before they root themselves in my present moments.

All my love,

xoxo

“Pick the day. Enjoy it – to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come… the past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present – and I don’t want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future.” – Audrey Hepburn