I was quite hungry this morning, owing to the fact that I stayed up half the night cleaning the apartment. While trying to decide whether I should cook or eat out, I came across Minnette’s latest entry in Lafang List, so I decided to go to one of the few eating places in our area that I actually like to dine out in - a restaurant that serves a buffet of American, Chinese, and Japanese dishes.

I’ve been to this place several times in the past year, often with friends and at times on my own, so I know the menu pretty well. Their sushi is pretty good, and I was looking forward to sampling them today.

On the way to my table, I came across one of the waitresses, and smiled in recognition. Jill (not her real name) is, I assume, a member of the family who owns the restaurant. Or perhaps a close relative. I came to this assumption because a) she closely resembles the cashier, who I take to be one of the owners simply because she never wears a uniform and b) she is always here whenever I/we come over to eat.

My drink was already waiting when I got back to my table after visiting the buffet spread. Noting that one type of sushi was especially good, I went to the bar for more. When I came back to the table, the used plate I had left behind was already cleared, and my drink had been topped up. This Jill is very efficient, I thought to myself, noticing that she moved between tables and did her job with the same speed I use when crossing the Taft Ave. MRT station in my rubber shoes, which is to say, very fast.

As I watched her balance a loadful of half-empty plates, this thought suddenly came to me: Is this her American dream? Did she, like so many of us, leave her home for the promise of ‘greener pastures’ in this foreign land? Does she have dreams and secret hopes that she nurtures while she waits tables, day after day, in this buffet restaurant? Or was this it, was this the only thing that she came for?

I must admit, I’m a hopeless romantic when it comes to dreams and goals. I’m the eternal optimist, albeit a pragmatic one. I believe in dreaming, and in going after dreams, even when we sometimes have to take the long and circuitous route to get to where we want to go.

So there I tarried over the plate of savory sushi, my thoughts now jumping from Jill the waitress to my own self, to my family, to my friends. And to the people I’ve met along the way to my goals, who helped me get a second wind by giving me an encouraging word, a comforting hug, some well-timed advice.

And suddenly, sushi half-forgotten, I felt a wave of gratitude for everyone who helped me get to where I am now. It is not yet the destination I had originally set out for, but I believe that I’m nearer to where I want to go in part because of the people who helped me and blessed me and cheered me on.

And so, as I left the coolness of the restaurant for the 97-degree Florida heat, I whispered a silent prayer. For Jill the waitress, that she might get a second wind to last her through her busy day, and hopefully keep alive whatever dreams she might have. And for myself, my family and my friends, that we would always find the strength and the faith to keep on going. And that, even when our goals seem very far off or when we start to feel like nothing much is happening at the moment, we never stop dreaming.

Posted under Navel-Gazing