the day off

feet up and unplugged, I spent the first half of my day doing just scant of nothing.  totally zonked.  it wasn’t until this morning, when I awoke, that I realize I was switching the blackberry switch off for the first time since Tuesday morning.  it’s a very new feeling: being accountable for every word you say.

be yourself, be genuine.  absolutely, I’m being myself.  but, at the same time, it also has the feel of a performance.  I’m performing, as myself, I suppose. 

so far, a week into our twelve month apprenticeship, and we both are beginning to appreciate the blossoming flower of the road ahead of us—the closed lip petals just beginning to purse open, revealing its’ true colors within. 

she has been working in guest relations, and I on the farm.  by the time it is over we will both be cycling through the following departments, and likely more: the butcher shop, the preservation kitchen, the dairy, the cheese room, the dining room, the main house, accounting, human resources, special events, reservations, marketing, activities, and children’s programming. 

so far, working on the farm, and working in guest relations, our two respective departments, have consisted of mostly similar responsibilities.  it’s about the guests, no matter what.  the actual hands-in-the-dirt farming I have undertaken while working in the garden would cumulatively add up to no more than an hour over the course of the week.  my time interacting with guests—touring them around the farm, describing the vast world of heirloom varieties, hosting tastings of the summer’s bounty, escorting guests personally through the larder and the dairy—the ways in which we can interact with guests is literally endless, and any bit of farm work, no matter the kind, will come second to the attention of any guest, no matter the task at hand.  compared to the hour of farming, my face time with the guests easily tops fifteen man hours, out of only three and a half actual days on the garden.

the tone between guest relations, and the garden, if similar in task, differs starkly in context.  at the front desk, the mood and reason for a guest’s appearance ranges the spectrum from extreme flattery, to basic directions, to disappointment or anger.

down on the farm, however, if a guest appears, you can almost guarantee they will be in a fantastic mood.  the setting is beautiful, they’re all extremely interested in learning anything we have to say, and they are encouraged to tour the grounds with us, tasting a wide range of succulent treats along the way.  they love it.

the pressure to anticipate a guest’s needs and beat their expectations is ever present. and with attention to detail, it has thus far been both easy and enjoyable to accomplish.

Comments

[bag charms]

Those pictures are beautiful. Like it very much.