Well rested.

I have spent the entire Christmas period being as indulgent as humanly possible. I have been lazy, as well as busy with cooking and wrapping and tidying. I have eaten rich foods every day and though I am pretty sure my body is screaming out for a salad and a fast I will only consider such a thing after New Year’s Day. I have drunk copious amounts and stayed very merry, very warm, sleepy and happy. I have snoozed in front of the telly, with the fire roaring and my family all around me. I have given and received lovely, thoughtful gifts. I feel very full, and rested, and peaceful. 

And I have not written, for a blog post or any other means, for longer than I can remember. I have done that a lot this year. If I were a field, I would be letting myself grow fallow. But now I have itchy feet. I have taught myself that although slowness and time to think and be is invaluable for the soul, I have other things to be getting on with. I want to be busy and creative and excited for as much of my life as possible. I just needed to stop to reaffirm this. I am extremely lucky that I could even consider such a thing. But off we go again!

The little things.

There are much more important things going on in life than worrying about the quality of each cafe you go into, but if life is about enjoyment and pleasure where you can find it then caring about the little things sometimes goes a long way.

I currently work in a cafe. I have worked in two cafes. The experience for each has been quite strikingly different. It means that when I go out for a meal or a drink I accidentally find myself closely observing the service. I think many people in the industry do the same, particularly if their own place of work holds a high standard of service.

This has started to sound nit-picky and snobbish, but here's the thing - in any industry where the producer, worker, creator, or server really cares about every little detail of whatever they are selling the experience for everyone involved is much greater. This is pretty basic, obviously, but this includes the quality of social interaction which in turn improves the mood of a person who will then be able to spread that good mood wherever they go.

How do I say this without sounding wishy-washy?

In my experience at my current workplace, I feel happy and energised with and by people even after a 10 and a half hour shift. The food is of a high standard, the service is of a high standard. I care about the customers and the business I represent because I am a well-looked after employee who is proud of what we sell. Even down to a mark on the crockery, or the placement of cutlery, everything is looked after. This makes it sound like a posh, stuck-up place. It's not. It is completely relaxed. We just all really give a shit about everyone's experience of the place. It is not just a money-making motive, it is caring about a nice place run by nice people making nice experiences for other nice people. Because life should be, wherever you can get it, filled with enjoyment and pleasure. Even when you're at work.

The customers are nice, most of the time (sadly some people refuse to be pleased), and our interaction with each other is energising. I smile all day. I laugh a lot. I make sure people are having a good time. I get things wrong, I get frustrated, I get tired, but for the majority of my working hours I feel happy. And the thing is, it takes nothing at all to make somewhere that good for both its employees and its customers.

I am currently sat in a different cafe and I was served tea in dirty crockery and my food was forgotten about, followed by a weak apology. And it's no big deal, really, but I can't help thinking what a shame it is. Why not just care about the little things and make someone's experience really lovely? It takes nothing.

It takes nothing, but a smile, enjoying something, feeling pleasure, and sharing that enjoyment, smile, pleasure with others- is that not everything?