Like Syrup Sliding

Have you ever waited tables? I was thinking about that this morning as I was balancing a tray with Khao Phad Gai (fried chicken with Rice) and my Cha Mannow (Lemon Tea), which are both quite delicious btw at my favorite morning breakfast establishment.

So, the morning was gray and muggy again. The sky seems to have a permanent gray film affixed to its roof lately. It reminds me of the old dusty places you find in your room, ok maybe not yours, but I sometimes get some serious dust bunnies :-P. They're the gray fuzzy ones that create the translucent film on your ceiling or floor, again that may just be me, and like most other gay guys, they make me extremely uncomfortable. But unlike many people, I have a serious lazy streak that can allow the dust to continue -- sometimes for a week or two --eventually caking a room corner until I engage in serious house cleaning.

Ok, so back to the waiting tables, I used to do it.

You know when you carry a tray full of drinks that it can be easy to spill them. If you don't concentrate, they can splash and churn, fall and break, causing one to lose a couple dollars (or pounds) in salary ;-). That really hurts the bottom line for a student or full-timer looking to scrape by that month :-).

I remember that if you walk with the tray too carefully though, and stare at the drinks while you're carrying it, they also tend to wobble and splash, causing unhappy customers and sticky clothes/hands. Nobody likes that.

The trick to carrying the drinks, from what I rememberd, was to be mindful. Walk at a brisk pace, knowing full well that you were carrying the drinks, but concentrating not on the drinks themselves but the balance of your body and hand. The mindful balance keeps you from unclean work clothes and keeps the pockets a little more secure on salary day.

I had to remember that as I balanced my cha mannow this morning. I walked briskly, mindfully, but concentrating on balance.

I was walking pretty quick of course, and as my thoughts centered on my own balance, a student made a quick corner turn, getting a shirt and face full of Khao Phad and Cha Mannow.

I might need to work on being aware of my surroundings also.