Goals

I'm not sure why I'm awake yet....oh yeah, the cat decided she needed breakfast. If it weren't for her, I'd still be blissfully asleep, hopefully not dreaming about work (which happens all too often). I spend a lot of time at my job-- yesterday I worked for 12.5 hours. While that's a couple hours more than my average day, it's not uncommon at all, to find me at the store from open to close. My customers will toss, "Don't work too hard!" over their shoulders as they leave the building. "I won't," I reply with a smile.

What they don't realize is that this isn't just a job. I don't just go to work to get a paycheck. There's a deeper purpose there for me, a deeper goal. I grew up loving to cook, loving to feed people. There is a stronger satisfaction in that than in anything else I do. Most people just see us as a place to grab their lunch, with friendly employees. But honestly, I see many of my customers much, much more than I even see my family. I've seen the same faces day in and day out for almost three years. I've seen people get married, have babies, I've seen folks retire or get laid off. I've seen coffee groups grow and shrink, newbies joining the pack and others move away.

My goal there is to provide a place people can go to escape their humdrum existence behind a desk; a safe place to go where they can vent a little if they need to, smile, laugh, hang out for a few with their co-workers outside of work, anything to make their day a little better. My crew and I don't just serve food. We serve comfort and familiarity and even just a bit of affection in the mix. My goal at work is to make my customers' lives better, even if only for a few minutes while they are in the store. You don't have to be famous or wealthy to change the world...you just have to put your mind to it, roll up your sleeves, and dig into your little corner.