Touchy Subject...Tipping

 Here's the deal. I saw this meme on X a couple of days ago. When I first read the caption, I thought, "Darn straight." I agree 100%. It made me think of another post I saw on X earlier where a person called citizens of the state where I reside as the "worst tippers in the world." He posted this because I believe his spouse works in the food service industry.

Yes, many Utahns are bad tippers--not all, I'm sure, but some.

Then I thought, do the servers deserve better tips? There are many who bust their butts to offer great service and they deserve to be rewarded for working hard, and when some "cheapskate" doesn't tip well, it's frustrating. I know it is. It's frustrating for me when I bust my butt at work and do not get the pay I think I deserve. But, and this is an important consideration...

What if the people stop eating out?

That's basically us. Like many our family has had to re-evaluate eating out. My wife and I used to go to a sit-down restaurant once a week. If we didn't eat at the restaurant, we'd order take-out and eat at home. Point is, it was a weekly tradition and we budgeted for such. 

Then, things change.

We have changed our eating habits since last fall. We haven't quit it entirely, but it's not something we plan, not something we do as part of our weekly activities. When I read the post about the person ripping on poor tippers, the alternative--at least for us--is to not go altogether. This mean, instead of getting poor tips, the servers get no tips.

I hope people are still going out to eat. Those who work in restaurants work hard and many are family-owned and rely on customers to pay their rents, send their kids to school, succeed in the community. It's the downward spiral of a bad economy for those who's income hasn't increased as fast as the rise in prices that causes such dilemmas.

When we go out, we try to tip well...not too much, but not too little. The tip was calculated in the cost of the meals. Tipping's a touchy subject. I hope we can participate more in the process in the future.

Something We're Missing...Communication

Last night, our family did something we rarely do--we sat down and watched a political debate. It's for a local election, state governor, and it lacked the fireworks or panache found sometimes in the bigger or national elections, and that's okay.

The fireworks and panache aren't what's important.

By some measurements, I'm not a political animal. I don't watch political programs or follow politicians on social media. I don't even watch the local news, something that I feel has helped me to feel better about myself and about my fellow man/woman/child, and something that has not cast me down to a pit of depression and misery. Sure, I'm not the most "up to date" citizen, but it's something I can live with.

This year we're getting a new governor. Utah's governors, over the past decade or so, have been a series of replacements and incumbents. We have a former governor, a current Lt. governor, a former speaker-of-the-house, and a businessman vying for the job. These are the republicans. In our state, the republican nominee is almost assured to win. Many think this fact alone is the main reason for many of the state's problems. That's a party argument, and to believe that discounts the ability of a good candidate can make a difference--it's party that is either right or wrong. I reject that thinking.

The four candidates had their time under the studio lights (except for one candidate who was in quarantine...). It's hard not to be cynical when listening to politicians speak. They promise, they compare, they contrast, and they speak of better days, if they are voted into office.

Usually, I can't stand debates. But, something about this one (and I admit, I did not watch all of it, but others of my family did...) captured our attention. Maybe it's because we need to communicate to get through these issues and problems facing our country, state, and town.

I don't know if the debate solidified the vote for any of us for any of the choices. But, it was important to give us an insight into these men and some of their thoughts. Politics, like people, are imperfect. We do the best we can with what we've been given--the politicians and their ideas and passion, and the public and our needs and fears.

Soon, the choices will be cut until at the end of the year a new person will get the job. Let's hope we've communicated enough to make the best choice possible.

Time will tell.

It's the Little Choices That Can Add Up...

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to hang out with several authors, all experiencing varying levels of success, and each one of them inspired me. So much so, when faced with my "normal" schedule today, I decided to make some changes. The first of which was trash a ton of un-listened-to podcasts.

Now, this may not sound like a big deal. Most people listen to no podcasts so not listening to a bunch of downloaded files is no big deal. To me, however, I am sometimes religious when it comes to my podcasts. I listen to them all--usually.

This morning, I grabbed a book written by my good friend, Dave Butler; with cover art by another friend, Nathan Shumate, and I read it going to and from work.

I know this sounds like a small thing. Someone reads a book instead of listening to something else while commuting to work--big deal! But to me it is. I need to read more in addition to listening to audiobooks (which, thankfully, I can do at work...). I need to focus on my goal of completing a novel by the next Salt Lake Comic Con and having it published before event taking place in September, about 120 days from now. I realized if I'm going to reach my goal, I've got to change the little things.

Oh,, by the way, Dave's book ROCKS! If you're interested, you can get the book: HERE. If you like dystopian stories, you'll love this!