Why Excellent and Cheap?
A few weeks ago, I was trading laments with an ex-coworker. We both had reasons to be frustrated. We had each worked in our industries, devotedly, for the better part of two decades.
But after years of sparkling, graceful, patient, cheerful, excellent hustling in the service of people, we both had nothing to our names!
We weren't young anymore. But could it be possible that we still hadn't "proven" our worth?
No. We knew it in our bones. We weren't green, we were Gold.
But Every time we went for another interview-- hoping that this time we might secure that elusive post where we could serve people well, AND ALSO be able to pay all of our bills-- we would come out feeling defeated, and worthless.
At almost-thirty, and thirty-something years of age, we were still being offered laughable (laugh-till-you-cry) salaries. "Benefits" was a foreign word from an unknown country. "Retirement" was a punchline of a sad joke.
What could we do?
We laughed. The Big, Free, impossibly Inviting laughs of people who have practiced and perfected Joy like it's their job.
No one would pay us what we were worth. But literally everyone and anyone would hire us!
Our years and our travels had taught us that much-- we were ALWAYS in demand by a thirsty, thirsty world.
Excellent & Cheap is meant to be a water-cooler type of place that I hope will refresh your servant’s soul. A place of stories, comedies, and anecdotes from my own labors - to hopefully remind you that the work we do as hospitality and service workers -- people who serve people-- is Unsurmisably Valuable.
After all, Aren't we the agents of the absolute best experiences that this life offers?
So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 8:15
We are faithfully following a Calling. In this life at least, there will always be those who lack vision, who will carelessly undervalue us in the vocations we chose. Maybe it will always be painful when they do. But we can know for a certainty that our work is of great worth in God’s sight.
So we go on and turn the other cheek again. We light up our gracious faces with the inviting smiles that energize and brighten a harsh, lonely world like nothing else can.
Hospitality isn’t something we do, it’s Who We Are.
We give ourselves away all day long. Often we do it for pennies- Because we can’t help but pity this world- We know it can’t afford us.
We are Excellent and Cheap. But we are also Rich, in the Finest Things.
Let's Not Grow Weary of Doing Good, my ‘Friends in Low Places’!
And May the Lord Station us Upon the Heights.