A Balancing Act

I'm working on some back and leg exercises these days in the hopes of someday returning to running and some "play" time on a soccer field again.  Sadly, as I prepare to turn 59 this week, I'm finding that I am actually very out of balance. Prolonged time on my feet these past 35 years, first as a teacher and now as a cafe owner, has been tough on my legs and back.  I am learning that I have overcompensated and overused some muscles and that repetitive motions bring repetitive stress.  

So, it is time for me to get rebalanced.

This past year, the drastic restrictions and limitations in many parts of our lives also shifted the balance. Not that I felt particularly "in balance" with work and life but I had at least developed routines and patterns and had set expectations about what felt normal for my work load at the shop.

When we stopped allowing indoor dining at the cafe, we dropped to half our usual number of transactions.  In the process, we changed the flow of ordering and food delivery, becoming receptionists and online order takers.  We lost the routine of our days with their ebbs and flows of people and the rounds of dishes and clean up.  We even lost the flow of days as "regularly scheduled" customers and groups stopped showing up as "usual."  

It felt so out of balance. Our bakers haven't actually slowed much at all and their steady filling of the bakery case has been a good base for us.  The cooks have felt the challenges of both drops in activity that require rethinking their prep and production as well as developing new packaging methods and timing for pickup orders.  Our baristas have really had to re-balance to juggle long down times with meeting pick up time requests and ever shifting customer traffic patterns.

Now that we are beginning the process of re-opening our tables to indoor dining, a new balance is being created. New protocols, new activity levels and new worries shift that balance as well.

I'm finding the most difficult balance is in trying to provide a safe place for customers as well as staff.   I want to offer opportunities for socializing but still balance the safety protocols for distancing to provide safety for everyone in the cafe.  We are acknowledging the increased desperation and reckless behaviors around our city and trying to balance that with providing a safe, secure place for my staff and customers. 

And while it's worrisome to just even have people inside, we're trying to balance that with the emotional benefits of socializing and having live interactions with our friends and family members.  We have been heartened by the acts of kindness and love being shown to us as staff and shared among customers.  We witness the practice of caring for each other in many ways and that feels like a little shift in the balance. 

So, like the exercises my physical therapist has prescribed for me, with small, simple ways to get me ready to run again, I am working with my staff to take the small steps to bring our cafe back to the time when it will be fully operating, alive with chatter, and full of the sounds of dining.  Perhaps there will also be a slightly different pace and a few more options for how we serve customers that will create a new balance.  And if we're thoughtful, we might find a better balance that provides a better experiences for our all of our neighbors.  It's that challenge that keeps me walking this Green Path with you and trying to keep my balance.