Leslie Rowe is a writer from Sarasota, FL, who works at Great Words. I first read her piece at Bible Dude on her Journey to the Lost Things in Life and was blown away at the insight. Were honored that she shared here, and I encourage you to visit her site at leslierowe.com.
I learned that working with your best friend is fun for me but horrible for management. When the pizza backlog got too big and the G.I.s were lined up out the door waiting for a table, Liz and I would collapse in useless laughter from the stress of it all.
I learned to play foosball like nobody’s business, and that being a girl was an advantage in that male-dominant sport because they underestimated the power of a well-practiced girl. I can still whip most when given the opportunity. (On a whim, I bought a foosball table on Craigslist last year and none of my kids can beat me.) (I know. It’s not much, but it’s a talent I’m proud to have.)
I learned to keep away from Larry Joe, especially when he’d been sipping Budweiser from the counter-top tap. And that his girlfriend was someone to be feared because she wanted to beat me up.
I learned to stay in school. Pumping out pizzas, pouring out pitchers, cleaning bathrooms, and washing crusty pizza trays was all I needed to keep my head in college, despite my lack of funds or focus. I’ll never regret earning my degree from Penn State, not after working at Shakey’s Pizza and later at Master Chef (home of the Master Burger of course) in Leesville, Louisiana.
Read all past issues at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidrupert