Wow! My plan for posting a weekly log of my experiences here in Yellowstone was obviously ill conceived:
- Our internet connection is unreliable most evenings, nonexistent on others…we are in the wild, after all.
- Even if I was technologically able to complete said task, my scoopers are pooped!
Yesterday…coming up on the Independence Day holiday…which falls on a weekend…when entire families (some rather large in number) are anxious to leave their quarantine cubes, breathe in unlimited amounts of fresh air, and observe anything other than each other…the survivors were separated from the fallen. We. Were. SLAMMED! My partner and I scooped ice cream – some soft and creamy, some hard packed – without pause for three-and-a-half hours! In tandem, we worked, bent at the waist, capped heads down inside the five foot wide freezer, side by side our hands digging for that first bite, our arms pulling the frozen treat towards us into ball after ball. Moose Tracks, Buffalo Chip, Cream and Coffee Fudge…”Yes, I need eight root beer floats, please.”
Occasionally ours hands, arms, and shoulders would get a very brief reprieve. “May I have three hot dogs, two pretzels with cheese, and a Diet Pepsi?” And then, “Oh, and my husband says he’d like a double scoop of Huckleberry Fudge on a cone…wait, make that two!” Okay, let’s go! All of the above, of course, is served with a smile for every single customer – from first to last. Each customer feeling as if they were the first person being served that day. This is the job. How would you, after all, like to feel, like to be treated if you were on the other side of that counter? This is the thought in the forefront of our minds at every moment.
Now, a little back story. My partner for the day, “Alice,” was visiting from another department. We were short a person, and Alice was selected from the cashiers’ bullpen to come assist. Alice, knowing absolutely nothing about the workings in the fountain, was obviously nervous and told me as such.
“I…I don’t really know what to do. I don’t know how this works,” she stammered as she lightly bit her lip. I placed my hands on her shoulders, looked her in the eye and said, “Alice, you are Wonder Woman. You are amazing, and you have the confidence to do this!” “Well…I’l do my best.” She looked away, totally unconvinced by my words. “Alice,” I looked her in the eye again, “you are Wonder Woman, you are amazing, and we need you.”
Now, I know my words had little to nothing to do with how the rest of the day played out, but Alice really was Wonder Woman. Like sisters in battle, we scooped, poured, hot dogged and pretzeled until our arms were ready to fall off. In between, my dear friend Wilma swept in from the grocery section like a desert storm to restock what we needed most.
At 4:30, we were relieved to see our new hires walk in the door fresh from training. Just when we thought (we knew) we couldn’t drag another ball of ice cream out of the bucket they came in and saved the day. They took over and, thankfully, stayed to clean and close up for the night.
Completely spent and covered in carnival like confections and condiments, I walked out the door to head home. Sigh…scanning the parking lot for my truck, I remembered that, of all days, I chose to walk to work. With a slight roll of my eyes and a chuckle,I trudged home, past the indifferent bison munching in the field beside me, stopping to help a hopelessly lost couple find the right road to Cody, mumbling the words to Working In The Coal Mine. Lord, I’m so tired!
The point of this piece? To let you know that I’m thinking of you and will continue to keep in touch as I am able. Between now and then, think of me when you notice a server – both the joyful and the haggard – and please, smile and be kind.
Peace.