Personal Experience Essay Example on Being a Waiter

📌Category: Life, Work
📌Words: 607
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 05 September 2020

I dropped the bread rolls. 

Again.

Putting bread on the table is a simple task. Well, apparently not for me. As rolls disappeared under tables and between chairs, customers paused their eating to stop, stare, and judge. Applying to be a waiter took me and many others by surprise. I am often characterized as an anxious and somewhat introverted person, always trying to be a people pleaser. However, this new environment was one that I found incorporated almost everything school and my other experiences had taught me. And no, this is not actually about the bread rolls, I do not care about the bread rolls; this is about what I saw when I got up from under the table.

At this point I must pause. Taking time to think about every decision I make is a routine I adapted from that day, something I had not considered in the years before. My entire life had always been devoted to soccer. With former college athletes for parents, the world of high level sports was certainly familiar. I distinctly remember my mom saying, “if your bone isn’t sticking out, don’t come off the field.” I was nine. Although this was meant (perhaps) as a joke, tough love and an expectation to honor a commitment has inspired me to find something I love and work timelessly at it. 

However, my thoughts at the restaurant were what led to me leave soccer that year. Soccer was like one of the rolls I had dropped. Still there, but without the same value as before. With much mediation I decided to pursue my interests in politics, French, and sailing. Becoming a waiter, attending Model Congress in Boston and residing with a host family twice in France has allowed me to put forth a genuine attitude for new endeavours. This new set of rolls, filled with lessons, many from soccer, I was not going to drop. My anxiety had always come from idea of not being in control, because for some reason, worrying about the lack thereof was comforting. To gaze up at the eyes around me as I dutifully gathered the rolls reminded me that dropping them in some ways is inevitable, but being able to bring out a fresh set with a smile is much more important.

While there is much to be improved as a waiter, bread on the floor and all, I am not coming off the field. The seconds following my embarrassment at my clumsiness were not accompanied with the same feelings that I usually have after a fault such as this. I had always been worried about making mistakes at soccer, leaving minimal room for enjoyment. Yet at the restaurant, I learned how to let go of the little things. Expecting perfection from myself with the fear of disapproval from others had slowed me down and I was ready to finally accept what life threw at me. After that night, I no longer cared about the uncontrollable, only about how I could piece back together the situation that was in my hands. 

The constance of life at times my endeavors inspire me while at times they fall short. While I had thought my time on the competitive ECNL soccer team would carry over to my college experience, I no longer fear the change that has brought me to the unknown. I am not exactly sure what I want to do in life, but I am now able to appreciate all aspects of what I chose to do in some way; always pausing to put life into perspective, a crucial skill when dealing with the pressures of high school. After the moment of true embarrassment leaving me with a better understanding of myself, I am confident in choosing a path that feels right to me. Questioning every decision I make allows me to seek opportunity that I find holds some type of promise, say, a fresh batch of bread rolls.

 

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