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Kailey Brennan DelloRusso's avatar

I'm 34 and still not over the Jordan lean

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Lauren Veloski's avatar

Oh my god that leannnnnnnnn!

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Auzin Ahmadi's avatar

I understand the message of the essay that opens this post, but I don't think it's cool to dump your problems on service workers, even ones that you think you have a genuine rapport with. I worked in food service, retail, and admin for 5+ years and I can promise that 99% of the time, I wasn't looking for a deep conversation, I was just trying to be polite and get through the workday. A barista or other service worker can't honestly respond to the question "how's your day going?" when they're at work. They might be concerned about what their boss or other customers would think of their response. Plus, if a service worker's day is going shitty, it's probably because of another customer or a coworker. And they can't exactly discuss that while they're still at work.

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Lauren Veloski's avatar

Hi Auzin, I also worked in the service industry for many, many years. In fact, I was a barista just like my friend Joel here. Joel spills the beans on his problems to me all the time (his family, his health, the car repairs he wants to cry over), and vice-versa. We’ve developed a friendship. These friendships were my favorite part of being a barista, when I was behind the counter. This is a small cafe in a small neighborhood where everyone knows each other. But I take your point about not leaning on people who are hard at work with our own bad attitudes (that happened to me occasionally too) This is something different. 🤗

Also important to note that I’m not suggesting we talk people ears off about how we “really are.” Only that it’s okay to give a short honest answer, and often mutually relieving. We can allow ourselves moments of vulnerability in small ways like this. I agree with you, let’s not impose on other people. 🫶

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Auzin Ahmadi's avatar

Sweet! Glad to hear this clarification!

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Lauren Veloski's avatar

Sorry if unclear! Thank you for sharing your thoughts though! 🫶

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Francesca's avatar

Love this. Thank you!

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Marianna Marlowe's avatar

Thank you for the laughter! Asking your mother to poison you "like Juliet" because your ice cream fell!

I appreciate the idea of writing within the format of the voice over. It reminds me of Martin Scorsese choosing to utilize the narrator of The Age of Innocence narrating in a voice over when he adapted that novel, one of my favorites, to the screen. In both the book and the movie the narration serves as brilliant "telling" within the "show and tell" construct.

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Lauren Veloski's avatar

Still feel like this when I drop my ice cream. 😂

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