Unless a miracle happens, the unfortunate answer to that question is yes! Nice people finish last! However, having been a nice guy the majority of my life, I can say that sometimes, being a good guy pays off in the long run.
So, where does this story start? Well, it starts with a young boy, and his dream. I wanted to be a chef when I grew up, just like my father was. Having to start somewhere, I took an entry level position, and was the shortest dishwasher you would have ever seen. But to be fair, I was only six years old when I started. I still remember the red milk crate I stood on, just so I could reach into the three bay stainless steel sink and scald my hands in hot water. Plus I had a white apron just like everyone else, but it was too long on me. My mother's solution? Double it up, wrap that drawstring around me as many times as she could, usually 2 1/2 times, and tie it tight. My parent's restaurant, along with my experience working their wasn't glamorous, or spectacular, but it taught me so much and formed me into the person I am today.
So, imagine a little Jerk of 6 years old, washing dishes while he wasn't in school, telling his parents he wants to be a chef when he grows up. My parents discouraged me from being a chef, saying it was awfully hard work...never mind they had instilled a hard work ethic in me. So, I grew up with a passion for cooking and baking, but not much of a desire to choose a career as a chef. Life took me in many directions though, like construction, real estate, mortgage loan processing, movie theater projectionist (all in family owned businesses). Then, my crazy uncle started another Sawyer's Pancake House in a less than desirable area of town. I did find the building for my uncle, so perhaps I'm partially to blame for its demise? Anyway, my brother, who is a fantastic chef who suffers from Celiac's disease and couldn't eat at a pancake house, created an amazing menu around local, organic, fresh ingredients and foods prepared from scratch for the restaurant. I worked there for three years, and finally became the chef I always knew I wanted to be! Remember the crazy part about my uncle though? Well, he didn't make the best choices, and after five years we had to shut the place down.
My girl friend at the time, and later my wife, then my ex wife, and I were living together, and I was jobless. Now, I loved cooking, and being a chef, but we needed money, and I was ready for another change in my life, so I decided what I really wanted was a W-2, 9-5 type job, so I started working with elderly people.
The decision to work with old people came about for two reasons. First, I was living with my grandma before she passed away, and I knew I wanted to help people who couldn't help themselves. Secondly, I had beaten cancer a few years previously, and wanted to go into the medical field. So, I became a caregiver, then eventually a medical technician, which is just fancy jargon for I can check your blood sugar and inject you with insulin. So, I've been doing that for almost six years now, and I've had so many amazing experiences I can't count them anymore. So, when do I get to the good part? You're curious, how has he been a nice guy, and what is the payoff?
Well, I love my residents just like they are family, because in the end, we're all family and we need to take care of each other. But, in this story, I took care of a particular woman, who for lack of a better term, was a socialite her entire life. Now, she is an amazing and wonderful person, who raised 4 amazing children, and was afforded the creature comforts in life most of us don't get to enjoy. This ladies kids were afforded more creature comforts, as wealth begets more wealth. I took such good care of this woman, that her family took notice, and her son offered to invest the start up cost of a food truck with me.
Why a food truck? Because I've wanted one for almost 6 years now! So, look out for some new and interesting content coming to you live from my food truck...maybe not live, but edited and spliced together from live content! However, I am a few months away from actualizing my dream and will be updating as I go along!
