Tip Share

For eight months I have worked full time at a very special place in Dallas. Between my time there and the winery, I have had precious little free time, but have somehow been blessed with quality family time along with the benefits of completely new relationships. Arguably I have taken more from Dallas than four years of college.  

I came home this week to visit the only place I had ever lived before the move, before Coffee House Cafe, before La Buena Vida. My Uncle passed away last week- a loss which compliments many I have experienced recently. Most of my peers have experienced similar feelings as we create lives for ourselves.

Lucky for me, my grandparents chose the city of Springfield Missouri to create their life with my father and his three brothers. Shared experience as a family imparts the burden of a common "who we are". As do shared experiences in the town you attended college, the workplace you contributed, or even the nationality or religion you claim. These bonds weigh more heavily on some members than others.

Tip share: The money a server will bring home is a result of the combined reward being split evenly. Optimal in high volume drawn from specialized tasks with aces in their places. Relative to the degree these qualifications are met, dependents stand to gain and suffer together. Anyone who has tip-shared has a strong love/hate relationship with this concept. Often the intrinsic motivator of pride can not out-way the cost of consistently carrying a team when you are a stronger player. Sometimes what happens in our lives make even the minimum requirements of a busy night difficult to meet, and the risks- even of letting others down- seem negligible. We have all put more into something and felt resentment build when others don't seem to value our contributions. We have all entered social contracts with low expectations and benefited from the generosity of others.

It comes down to how much responsibility we are willing to take for outcomes that benefit the group we are in. Being an adult gives you a greater degree of control over the associations you choose to recognize and the degree to which you develop and maintain them. As a member of the group of people following, your interest has benefited me greatly. As always, thank you.