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Thanksgiving Sunday: 'I Have Enough'
Thank you for a wonderful time serving 67 guests last Sunday at Karma Kitchen. While that's considered a "slow" day, it certainly didn't feel slow to any of us. :)
As Arthur, Caille, Lotus and Chris sported their new Karma Kitchen t-shirts, we started with our "I Have/Am Enough" theme as guests shared their contentment recipes, enjoyed meals served with smiles, and left us with a "server's high" (as Chris put it). This being Thanksgiving, some of our guests were from very far away places like Turkey and Denver, while some were from across the street, like the lawyer-turned-chef from Chez Panisse who wants to volunteer! The vibe was infectious with so many memorable encounters with the guests. On the offerings table, an author left some books of Indigo Animal, a magazine editor left copies of Peace Power, a gardener left some chillies and lemons, and an anonymous guest left us hand-knitted scarfs (that looked so good on Lotus! :)). All along, in the back, Piyush was unstoppable with the dishes and Anu had adventures with club-soda while Ami and Arthur added some love as they plated each order, and the unflappable Uma refused to trade her interface role. :) To top it off, how cool is it that Caille was working on a media story while still busing not just the tables but even the high-chairs! (And Sharanya, it was a huge help that you and your mom were able to come by early for setup and the oh-so-many-ice-cream-flavors run to the store.)
As we sat together at the end to share stories, server-highs, sugar-lows and joyous-laughs, :) I remember the Pema Chodron quote we ended with: "Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity."
To know that we all came together, simply to create a space for these small ripples of goodness, is an occasion of Thanks-giving for me. Thank you.
--Maitre-D :) on Dec 1, 2009
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