COVID has changed how we think about things.

Exponentially so.

For example, I am back to hugging people but I think about it before I assume someone will hug me back.

I am super self conscious when I cough or sneeze at work.

I wash my hands 100 times more than I used to.

So I’m very aware when two certain behaviors happen at work.

The first is close talkers.

I’ll be standing at the host stand and the next thing I know someone has stretched their head over the stand and it feels like they are 2 inches from my face. They have no sense of personal space.

It makes me nervous. It makes me anxious. And it makes me very very very uncomfortable.

The second is touchers.

My mom was a toucher. She’d walk through a store picking up every item in the aisle. Very studiously examining each one. Berber buying. Just touching.

At work people will come to the host stand and touch my iPad. They touch my pen. They touch the postcards. They touch the phone. They touch the the toothpicks. When they are done they wander around the host area touching everything else.

It drives me crazy.

Even more so when they are both close talkers and touchers.

Our last reservations tonight were at 8:30.

The last table sat arrived 25 minutes late. Ugh.

However, table 21 was sat at 8:25. Awesome. Early.

They stayed until 11:15. The last table before them left at 10:00.

Fun fact: for whatever reason, I don’t mind staying late. I used to hate it. Now I sit and chill, and just wait it out.

That being said, I do feel bad for my staff sometimes.

Table 21 did it right tonight.

They left a $100 tip on a $300 check. We’ll worth the extra time for the server.

The only bad part of staying late is the 45 minute drive home. In the rain.

But alas.

This is still an awesome job.