I just recently returned from a very nice and relaxing cruise down to the Bahamas with my wife and her family. The weather was perfect (no rough seas), the beaches were wonderful, and the food was delicious. Despite everything being great vacation wise, the thing I will probably remember most was our nightly dinner waiter.
You see, not only did he make every dinner special with above and beyond service, stories, and jokes, but the story of his life really made me think about my own life. The man was from Serbia, where his wages had he not joined the cruise line would have been only $300 a month. Now I know the US dollar must go quite far there, but that still seems like very little to survive on.
So by joining the cruise line, he made more but had to work 7 days a week with 11 to 13 hour days. He also had to work almost 10 months straight before receiving a two month break to return home. It made me think - is it really that hard to make it to Saturday in your normal 9 to 5 job?
The sad part was this guy had a wife and barely one year old daughter. He had missed his daughter's birth and only seen her once in person! He had to rely on pictures from his wife to get updates. That was the hardest part to hear - this guy rarely gets to see his family and will miss so much as his daughter grows up. Surely there must be a better way for this guy? Maybe that's Steem...
The last night of the cruise I decided to give this guy a nice extra tip and wished him well. It made me think maybe my job and life isn't so tough after all. Despite all the problems and issues we have and will have in the United States, it could be much worse. As we fight for freedom and decentralization and what have you, let's also be thankful for what a lot of us do have right now. Cheers Johvan!
