Tuesday, September 12, 2006—Evening
In the entire day today I did not mention my World Ventures work to anyone, yet I worked at World Ventures all day. This morning I went to my local corporate coffee shop for my usual short, half mild, half water, with room for cream (you do the math), and reminded the barista that I only pay for a refill on my drink instead of $1.30 for the regular short.
Keep in mind I have been frequenting this coffee shop since it opened three years ago. The way I came up with the fair tally of the refill price was through another barista who felt I was paying too much for half a drink and mentioned the refill price as a more reasonable option. Well, this morning the girl who poured my luke-warm coffee proceeded to lecture me on making sure I “don’t do that in front of the manager, or he’ll be mad.” She spoke to me as if I were an unruly child. Everyone in the coffee shop heard her reprimand me. I was unhappy. I was offended and angry when I left the coffee shop and didn’t much enjoy my drink. For reasons only a psychologist might understand, this little interaction left me quite humiliated, partly because I experienced another such embarrassing moment as this in the same store only months earlier.
I sat in my car and cried, then fumed, then cried and fumed. Then I decided to talk it out. After talking to my self and a friend’s tortured answering machine, I decided to go to my ALL-TIME FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP—Watermark Books and Café on Oliver and Douglas in Wichita, Kansas.
Upon entering the store I was greeted warmly by the owner. Sarah smiled at me and asked me if I needed help finding a book. I declined her offer, and later came back for help in finding Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I spoke to one of my Watermark friends, M.B., about the book Prince of Tides that my Syd is reading. M.B. and I were amazed at the loveliness of the story and language in the book. My other friend, J., and I talked about blogging and teaching. M.R. listened to me complain about the corporate coffee shop. I have different friends depending on who is working that day. I love Watermark because there I am treated like a person. When I don’t go into the store for a while, they actually miss me. When I order my drink, we laugh together and make jokes. They ask me about my life. S. loves the French language and used to teach it. M.A. just took up roller derby. I went to see two of the Irish girls dance and play the mandolin. L. goes to the YMCA every morning to workout before coming to Watermark, even though she is busy with her family.
As I think about it, I know a great deal about the people who work at the corporate coffee shop too, and I consider them my friends. I guess that’s why I felt so bad when I was treated like a number—like 80 cents to be exact.
I left Watermark feeling happy. I started to look forward to teaching my classes, and I kept thinking about things that bring me joy. I forced myself to think about the things that I’m glad I have. At first it wasn’t as easy, but I started to get into it pretty quickly (since I have been practicing this kind of thinking for a few months now). Working at feeling good, enjoying my life is my job now—this is World Ventures.
My classes went well, and the energy was high, and everyone seemed happy. I was also able to put money in the bank just in time to make my car payment.
As I said, I have been working on my thinking for some time, even before I came to World Ventures. In fact, this is what led me to WV. I wanted to earn money in a way that is easy and makes me happy. Then I was introduced to this opportunity.
So many of the jobs I have had have left me broke and empty. I never really tried to be happy at those jobs and I never was. I don’t believe in jobs, even though I grew up with models of the most hard-working people there are. How can employees be happy when they don’t care about their own customers, when they can’t pay their bills, when the chances for their futures dwindle as they age? Don’t get me wrong some of the happiest people I know work at menial jobs making little money and getting even less recognition. These are people who have chosen to live simply and to be happy. I, on the other hand, choose to have money and be happy. But be warned, there is much working against those of us who make the choice to be happy.
I want to leave with a quote from the book The Art of Everyday Ecstasy by Margot Anand. This quote makes sense out of my small experience at the corporate coffee shop and addresses the societal belief that we cannot and should not be happy:
We have a vested interest in keeping the game going. Your industrial-military complex understands this very well. That is why it opposes mightily any attempt to install a war-no-more government anywhere.
Your religious community also holds this clarity. This is why it attacks uniformly any definition of God which does not include fear, judgment, and retribution, and any definition of self which does not include their own idea of the only path to God.
--Neale Donald Walsch
Conversations with God
Keep in mind I have been frequenting this coffee shop since it opened three years ago. The way I came up with the fair tally of the refill price was through another barista who felt I was paying too much for half a drink and mentioned the refill price as a more reasonable option. Well, this morning the girl who poured my luke-warm coffee proceeded to lecture me on making sure I “don’t do that in front of the manager, or he’ll be mad.” She spoke to me as if I were an unruly child. Everyone in the coffee shop heard her reprimand me. I was unhappy. I was offended and angry when I left the coffee shop and didn’t much enjoy my drink. For reasons only a psychologist might understand, this little interaction left me quite humiliated, partly because I experienced another such embarrassing moment as this in the same store only months earlier.
I sat in my car and cried, then fumed, then cried and fumed. Then I decided to talk it out. After talking to my self and a friend’s tortured answering machine, I decided to go to my ALL-TIME FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP—Watermark Books and Café on Oliver and Douglas in Wichita, Kansas.
Upon entering the store I was greeted warmly by the owner. Sarah smiled at me and asked me if I needed help finding a book. I declined her offer, and later came back for help in finding Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I spoke to one of my Watermark friends, M.B., about the book Prince of Tides that my Syd is reading. M.B. and I were amazed at the loveliness of the story and language in the book. My other friend, J., and I talked about blogging and teaching. M.R. listened to me complain about the corporate coffee shop. I have different friends depending on who is working that day. I love Watermark because there I am treated like a person. When I don’t go into the store for a while, they actually miss me. When I order my drink, we laugh together and make jokes. They ask me about my life. S. loves the French language and used to teach it. M.A. just took up roller derby. I went to see two of the Irish girls dance and play the mandolin. L. goes to the YMCA every morning to workout before coming to Watermark, even though she is busy with her family.
As I think about it, I know a great deal about the people who work at the corporate coffee shop too, and I consider them my friends. I guess that’s why I felt so bad when I was treated like a number—like 80 cents to be exact.
I left Watermark feeling happy. I started to look forward to teaching my classes, and I kept thinking about things that bring me joy. I forced myself to think about the things that I’m glad I have. At first it wasn’t as easy, but I started to get into it pretty quickly (since I have been practicing this kind of thinking for a few months now). Working at feeling good, enjoying my life is my job now—this is World Ventures.
My classes went well, and the energy was high, and everyone seemed happy. I was also able to put money in the bank just in time to make my car payment.
As I said, I have been working on my thinking for some time, even before I came to World Ventures. In fact, this is what led me to WV. I wanted to earn money in a way that is easy and makes me happy. Then I was introduced to this opportunity.
So many of the jobs I have had have left me broke and empty. I never really tried to be happy at those jobs and I never was. I don’t believe in jobs, even though I grew up with models of the most hard-working people there are. How can employees be happy when they don’t care about their own customers, when they can’t pay their bills, when the chances for their futures dwindle as they age? Don’t get me wrong some of the happiest people I know work at menial jobs making little money and getting even less recognition. These are people who have chosen to live simply and to be happy. I, on the other hand, choose to have money and be happy. But be warned, there is much working against those of us who make the choice to be happy.
I want to leave with a quote from the book The Art of Everyday Ecstasy by Margot Anand. This quote makes sense out of my small experience at the corporate coffee shop and addresses the societal belief that we cannot and should not be happy:
We have a vested interest in keeping the game going. Your industrial-military complex understands this very well. That is why it opposes mightily any attempt to install a war-no-more government anywhere.
Your religious community also holds this clarity. This is why it attacks uniformly any definition of God which does not include fear, judgment, and retribution, and any definition of self which does not include their own idea of the only path to God.
--Neale Donald Walsch
Conversations with God
posted by H2O at
10:51 AM
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