The Uncontrollables......

Like everyone else who works, we do it for money. However, there are many circumstances that are totally out of our control.

I was scheduled to work a memorial luncheon yesterday, that we painstakingly set up for 80 people. We had to start out by dragging five extra tables into the room we were using…these were not small tables, they each sat eight. Then we set up a coffee bar…then we had to move all the tables in the lounge so we could set up a buffet table, again dragging large tables through the restaurant….get five chafing pans ready….80 water glasses had to be polished, filled and set out….the carafes of ice water had to be put out on all 9 tables……and so on and so forth.

While we are in the middle of all this, the dining room got busier than expected, which is good, (but one of those uncontrollable things) so one of us to pick up a couple of tables.

Okay, so we step it up a notch, (there are 3 of us working this luncheon) start scurrying a little faster…..then 5 people show up really early….so in the midst of finishing our set up, we take care of them.

Alright, we’re finally good to go! All set for 80! Then we get a call informing us that there will only be about 50 people. Another uncontrollable. (That cuts our money almost in half) And then on top of that, it’s snowing. Actually it’s snowing pretty hard, which is screwing up the roads. Yep, you’ve got it, uncontrollable. Then, as if to pour salt in the wound, only 38 people show up. (uncontro….you know the drill) Okay, so now our money is at less than half of what we were expecting.

As we are standing there looking at the 42 unused place settings, 42 unused, polished and filled water glasses, four unnecessary tables that we dragged in…(that all have to be taken down and put back) and so on and so forth, we tell ourselves the only thing we can, “It’s more money than we had when we walked in the door.”