I know no one enjoys waiting. Waiting for doctors visits, Amazon orders, the car ahead of me turning left, or the take out ordered at 2 in the afternoon that should have been ready at 5:30. As I waited patiently and relished in the knowledge I would shortly be returning home with our family’s New Years dinner, I couldn’t help but watch my fellow waiters and smile. Most were patiently passing the time conversing with the hungry strangers next to them (myself included). I also noticed the one grumpus who bucked the system. Thankfully, he was the exception to the rule.
The people I felt most compassion for were the younger people behind the desk, left to deal with the brutal onslaught of New Years feeders. They we’re put in an unwinnable position and knew they had to suffer for the duration. I felt I should have done more, but when my name was called all I could think about was getting home and feasting with the family.
All in all, about an hour wait beyond the arranged pick up time. Not too bad for New Year’s Eve – in fact, very close to last years wait (and the several years before that). The crowd seemed to be a bit more adaptive to the situation this year. Maybe I’m getting older, or maybe I was just tired from the 90 minutes of elliptical training earlier in the day, but I was impressed with the overall spirit of the crowd. We all knew we shared the common bond of anticipation of one more high sodium, high fat, fried, calorie laden, heavenly tasting meal of 2013. As I walked away from the counter with my prize held high, I passed smiling faces I would likely never see again. I smiled and said “Happy New Years! Your dinner is well worth the wait!”