Boy Inside the Man

I have a theory. It's an easy way of explaining myself when I say or do something childish or moronic..well not really but I'm sure you're getting the idea by now. This theory is not earth shattering like Einstein's little ditty or very deep like "I think, therefore I am". Here it is...the age you enter the hospitality industry is the mental age you remain until you leave the biz. Some of you are right now saying, now it makes sense...it's all come together with regards to that guy. Whatever.

I started in this world as a 14 year old kid, dish washing at the good old Golden Griddle, a busy nondescript pancake house that would plough through easily 500 people for breakfast on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Where, when I switched over to bussing tables, I could easily pull in $120 in tips from the servers I served. That was a lot of money back then, probably the last time I really had money...haha My hourly pay was $3.05 an hour and I would be pulling in $15 an hour in tips, which must be the equivalent of $45 these days. Crazy right?

This is when the seeds were sown in my stunted growth, you see...there are no rules, there is nothing that can't be said and if you can't think up 12 different ways to fuck around with someone right now, you're simply not right for the biz. We have a skewed way of looking at the world, a strange confluence of stimuli that breeds us into sarcastic night dwelling child like prophets. Sharp knives, raw meat and loud music transform seemingly normal people into a mixed bag of fringe personalities, damaged egos and social deviants. Oh boy, can't wait to date this guy, what a catch...haha I'm actually a bit of an anomaly in the business despite this rather dark background. I have no addictions, no phobias, generally no issues integrating into the normal world, whatever normal is, and am pretty high functioning. And yet still child like a lot of the time...case in point, for shits and giggles I wanted to see how many grapes I could fit into my mouth, 30 seems like the right number. My kids thought it was hilarious and I didn't choke out. If you're not having fun you're simply not having fun...so go forth and frolic will ya.

Tom Cochrane had a song out a million years ago called Boy Inside the Man, a songwriters kind of song that captured some of the realities of growing up while still being young....

"When I turned twenty-five
We were hungry, we had drive
When I turned much older then
When the boy was lost in pride

Now I just turned thirty-one
I have lost and I have won
Still I've kept my dreams alive
Cause the boy will never die"

Now I'm forty eight

Finally knowing to stand up straight

Between young and old 

I have so much to relate

That last stanza I just made up, accurate as hell I'd say. I like my naïveté, my outlook and my humour. They work for me and they are meant for me. If it just happens to resonate with others that's great, if not...whatever. I feel that I am creeping into more wisdom at the same time as finding even more ways to be imp like. Despite it all...life is grand my friends.

Having said all that I don't expect that anything will change with me when I get out of the biz, like say after Friday when the Lotto comes my way. Perhaps it is too ingranied in me or perhaps I have always been that way, whichever is the case I'm pretty certain that you will find me down the road still laughing and carrying balloons in my pocket in case a helium tank should present itself.

Guten Tag
D