Lucky and Waiting

Has anyone noticed I like to begin my posts as if I'm in the middle of a conversation? It's true, I do. I feel the blogworld is my friend (for the most part) and I take advantage of that friendship sometimes to vent, to snark, to gnash my teeth and scream, to make wry observations. Just like everyone else who blogs I suppose.
One of my previous blogs on MySpace was about why I love to embarrass myself. To recap: I'm good at it, (if there is a wrong thing to say, count on me to come out with it, but I'll torture myself endlessly, so don't worry about blessing me out) I generally learn something and well, it gives me a little humility.
So after only a week on the job, I've waited on or delivered food to several people I know or am acquainted with. The reaction is usually shock.
Not from my close friends who know and with whom I'd discussed going back to work at length, but from people like the girl who helps with my daughters dance classes, one of the kids teachers, and a nurse I used to work with at the hospital. I get a lot of...'You WORK here?'
Uh, yeah, that's what the uniform is for.
What I want to say is either, NO, I don't WORK here, I dress up and PRETEND, fun game right?
OR YES, I DO work HERE, but I DON'T HAVE TO....( and then go on to explain the reasons that I choose to do a job that a lot of people consider demeaning)because it was pretty obvious these people felt sorry for me, in one case a parent of one of the other girls in K's class left me an almost twenty dollar tip. I'm sure she may be just a good tipper in general, but twenty on sixty dollars?
If I could I'd wear a shirt that says,
I'm so lucky.
So so lucky, I don't have to do this, my wonderful husband supports us well, but I need grown up time, and I even though I've had great jobs with really good benefits, those jobs tend to come home with you. Waiting tables stays at the restaurant.
Plus I'm good at it. I really like meeting new people and working in this environment means I meet new people every half an hour or so.
I like having cash. I like having something that's just mine.
I like buying my husband gifts with money I actually earned.
But I like staying home, too. And IF I choose to leave this job it's definitely not as big of a deal than if I worked somewhere with few employees or somewhere that I was heavily depended on.

Unfortunately, I can't wear a shirt that explains all that, so I generally just say, I'm working for the summer or working to help pay for Mike's birthday trip. Which is true, once school starts there will be no way I can work five days a week.

I think waiting tables is a perfect name for what I do by the way.
I am waiting.
I'm waiting to sell a book or short story or article. I'm waiting to figure out my groove.

I'm not embarrassed, though, except for when people seem embarrassed for me, then it's hard not to be a little dismayed.

Just one of those things I suppose.
R