A Wonderful, Awful Idea

Today I got an email from the builders for the restaurant that Jeff and I are trying to open. They are delayed again, and now the restaurant will open in June instead of January. I wish, now that this is the third or fourth time that they have told us that they are significantly behind, that I didn't react. I wish I could pretend that I hadn't gotten my hopes up, I hadn't started counting down to the time that I could work from home instead of the lab, and it didn't make me cry. It's just that every month that they are behind is another month that I have to spend most of my time away from my kids, letting someone else enjoy their childhood, while I work at a job that has nothing to do with anything that I dream for my life. But like I said, this isn't my first time lamenting a delay. Today, I was more frustrated that I again felt powerless in the face of the wave of disappointment. And then, I had an idea.

(Okay, whenever I write that last line, I can't help but think of the Grinch. "An awful idea. And then the Grinch had a wonderful, awful idea" because Lucy likes that book, and I have read it a lot, all year long)

So sometimes when you can't get the ship of the line that you are supposed to get, you take a sloop and make do. Jeff and I know of an abandoned kitchen from which we could easily run a catering business. Ironically, it is in the basement of the building that Zesta is in, but I'm not letting them stop me. We could have it up and running by the end of September maybe, October definitely. In time for the whole of the holiday season and all the lovely office parties. And after the office parties, is February and February is the best month for Wine Dinners because it's Valentine's Day which is all about wine, chocolate and date nights. And after February is spring, which means weddings, and I love weddings because weddings need food. Catering would allow us to remind people that we exist, build on our reputation and prove that we have the best game in town. It would allow us to create and build relationships with wineries and people of interest in the community.

And most of all---it would mean that the builders are not in control of our lives anymore. We would be doing what we want to do, not what they tell us we can do. It would make all of this waiting useful. So that next time when the inevitably announce that they are behind, I don't spend all day somewhere between homicidal rage and paralytic depression. I'm not saying that I will be able to smile, but maybe for once, I won't cry.