We’re passed the halfway mark together, team. Thank you for all your encouragement and kind words. This initiative has opened my eyes to the power of living intentionally, elevating everyday interactions into something transcendent. Does that sound fluffy and ridiculous? I put a healthy splash of gin in my tonic tonight. I suggest you all try it. (Both the 40-day initiative and the gin.)
By now you may be wondering just how many different jobs I’ve held. A lot. If I properly attempted to list them I’d say at least a dozen, not including my short-lived gig as a door-to-door used sticker salesperson when I was a kid in Toronto. Forget lemonade stands. My entrepreneurial spirit had me doing all kinds of nonsense as a child.
After I was injured in a minor car accident whilst catering, I faced six draining weeks of unemployment. I can honestly say now that I am grateful for that experience too, though it was a long road of redemption. I will spare you from writing something along the lines of Alanis Morrisette’s Thank You but truly, I am grateful now for that season of listlessness. It had me facing my own demons. For too long I believed the lie that my self-worth was linked to my performance and it took a long time to unravel. (A quick note before I proceed: The next time you befriend a stranger, consider asking them what they LOVE to do, not what they do for work. The answers are considerably more inspiring and you’ll spare the awkwardness of discussing unemployment with a stranger. Moving on.)
For tonight, allow me to applaud the woman who helped me get back on the horse, so to speak. She hired me to work in her stunning gorgeous bed & breakfast up at 4th and Blanca. It was both a literal and metaphorical transition from working in a cold and barren warehouse to a warm and inviting family home, beautifully appointed from every angle with one of the sexiest gas ranges I’ve ever had the pleasure of cooking with. Oh my word, you guys. The Arts and Crafts architecture! The garden! The views! The suite upstairs! I’ll stop there.
Penny Crosby, I’m sure I have told you but I will say it again: your presence in my life after such a soul-stripping season was no mistake. The beauty in your home ministered to me. Yes, there was a lot of cooking and cleaning and I could have done with less vacuuming but within the rhythm of managing the operations of your bed and breakfast, I rediscovered why I fell in love with food and hospitality in the first place: it brings people together.
Thank you for unknowingly bandaging my emotional wounds with your kindness and gentle spirit so that I could experience peace and heal. I am so grateful for you.
xoxo,
e
ELISSA JOY WATTS 