On Tuesday, I turned 45.
I had booked the day off, so I took the dog for a leisurely walk around the lake in the morning and then headed to the shop for some retail therapy.
After walking around the shopping centre, I realised I was hungry and on my way to feeling hangry. It was nearing 1:30 pm, and my head was fuzzy, but I couldn’t find anywhere to cater to my gluten-free diet that would satisfy my birthday cravings.
So I drove to another shop where I knew a good cafe existed.
On arrival at the cafe, I noticed they were cleaning up. I asked the lady at the counter if they were still serving. She said yes, until 2 pm.
By this stage, I couldn’t think straight. Lost in the menu, I asked for advice; ‘I just want something gluten-free.’ She proceeded to bombard me with options.
And so, I ordered a Moroccan chicken salad.
The salad took a while to arrive. I thought, ‘How hard can it be to make a salad?’
That was when I heard the ‘Food is up’ call as a burger arrived on the counter.
The burger was tall.
Bloody tall.
Whoever ordered that was going to have a feast! The older lady sitting next to me said as much.
The waitperson picked up the burger and walked toward me, placing it in front of me with a knife and fork.
I looked at her. ‘I ordered a salad,’ I stated, confused.
She looked at me confused and went off to ask.
I turned to the lady beside me, who was in awe of the burger and asked to see her menu. I told her, ‘It was meant to be a salad’. She laughed & said it was an impressive-looking burger.
‘Oh… I see.’ I thought to myself. ‘I ordered a Moroccan Chicken BURGER.’
The waitperson returned, advising I’d got what I ordered and that it was gluten-free.
‘Oh well.’ I thought. ‘Whom am I to turn away gluten-free food … plus I’d felt a hankering for good chips.’
And so I dug in.
The lady sitting next to me was still in awe of the burger, watching me tackle cutting it in half & shoving it in my gob.
It was good.
It was damn good.
And the chips…
As I continued to eat, another burger headed my way.
This time the waitperson put it down in front of the lady next to me.
She’d been inspired.
She asked where to start, laughed, and tucked in. She offered her friend some chips, who had ordered something more ‘sensible’ – she dived in too.
We all laughed.
On finishing, I wished them well and went on my way full of joy, gratitude and a burger.
There’s a lesson in that.
If life gives you a burger, embrace and enjoy it.
That joy is contagious and will inspire joy around you.
