Community.
Have you seen the show community? It's kind of like that. Having a place that feels like home, where there are people who recognize who you are and care about you. They love you for who you are and nothing more or less.
I used to live at Blackbird coffee. Mostly because my house was freezing cold and I could never study in a cold environment. Everyone in Blackbird knew me, including the locals who came in everyday. I was "that face." "You're still here!! Did you ever leave?" is a phrase I got often. That was over a year ago. Now, I come in once in a while but they still know what I'm going to order. When my delicious cup of vanilla caramel latte is done, they yell "Medium Vanilla Caramel for Natalie!!!" They know to yell it out because I always put my headphones on soon after ordering my drink, haha.
I work at Judy's Country Buffet and it's definitely a community there. How can a restaurant also be a place for people to feel at home? A buffet? Yes, a buffet. The buffet that I work at and do my best to create a home atmosphere in. I can tell you all of the characters in my show...
Bill - Bill is about 80. He has been coming in for years and usually comes in everyday except on the weekends when he goes out of town or travels. He lost his wife about 10 years ago and his daughter a couple days later. He drives a old red pickup truck and ALWAYS backs it into a parking space. I'm not sure how he even drives because as he opens his door, he gets out uber slow and walks slowly with a limp. He eats his jello first and his bowl of peach cobbler last. He takes 3 splendas with his unsweet tea and even needs me to help take the straw out of the paper lining. I love him.
Dalores: I remember when I first saw her. Everyone noticed when she came in. She wears a light colored bandana to cover the hair that no longer grows on her head. I've never asked about her condition. For many reasons but they are besides the point of this post so I'll skip that part. She has the bluest eyes I have ever seen. She loves to read fiction novels about spies and adventures. She also love crossword puzzles and has a daughter. She lost her husband to disease as well. I have had numerous customers come to me giving me money to pay for her food. Everyone seems to notice her. I was talking to her yesterday about her books. I noticed she didn't have one yesterday and I asked why. She explained how everything has a season and she got filled up with reading and is on to new things. She went on to explain how Judy's food fills her up, in not just the stomach filling way, but it makes her feel at home. It fills her heart. The fried, canned, same old-everyday buffet food, makes HER feel at home. But it's not the food. It's the fact that every time she comes in, I light up with a smile because I'm so happy to see her. It's because Judy's is her community away from her cancer community.
Howard: is extremely perverted but I love him anyway. He is kind of a computer engineering genius. He builds stuff with wheels and computers and they speak to each other to do things. He explains it better than I do. He comes in everyday around 4:30. Sometimes he brings his P.I.C. but I have never gotten his name. Either way, they are not good to be together, to say the least, lol.
Jerome: he is a bowler and he loves to share how many points he got and how worse or better he's been getting. He always gets hot sauce, splenda, and unsweet tea and water. When he sits in the booth, he always sits on the end near the aisle and keeps both of his feet outside of the booth as if making sure he's prepared to run if he has to.
Oliver: He is 72 years old. He has been wearing converse for over 50 years. He is a carpenter and loves to build things. He has no wife, but he'd like me to be married to him. He is living with his daughter and is building her a new fence and fixing up her house.
Billy: a.k.a Dennis. Sits in the corner by the window, drinks water, takes no sauces, and has tattoos that are so faded that you have no idea what they say/mean. Even he has forgotten.
....and the list goes ON AND ON.
What are YOU thankful for?
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