We wake up late for work so we decided to run through the drive thru quickly for our morning coffee and breakfast. We don't think twice about the person we read our orders and hand our cash to. We do not wonder who the person is that hands us our coffee and sandwich. And we don't even question who it was that made our food for us. We move on with our day like its any normal day. However, I can guarantee that the people you had just interacted with might be one of the greatest people you'll ever meet, and you didn't even notice.
People are so busy they don't care about the person behind the counter or at the drive thru window. Some don't mind insulting the person in the uniform because they get paid little and how could they screw up such a simple order. I was the person who didn't think twice about the people at fast food restaurants until I worked at one.
I was given the great pleasure of getting to meet and know my fast food family. Despite the belief that fast food workers are lazy, they are the most hardworking group of people I have ever met in my life. They taught me how to work hard in everything I do in life. However, we do make mistakes and know that they are never intended. They all have their own stories. I listened as they told me stories of when they were younger or when they told me their about their dreams they haven't let go of. I watched as their faces light up when I asked them to tell me how they met their significant other. My fast food family is accepting. We are eager to teach new members and learn their stories, what makes them happy and sad, what their dreams are.
My fast food family is taken for granted. Many do not look at us like we are people, they look at us as if we are just objects who are just here to serve them. I stand by and watch as they are bruised and beaten down with words by angry customers and somehow they still turn around with a smile on their face. Some days are harder than others but we aren’t in it alone.
In this town I am, to many, a nobody. However, to my fast food family I am someone. They all have faith in me and my abilities and remind me of this everyday. When I leave for school they are sad I will be gone but they do nothing but encourage me to strive for success. My fast food family sees something in me that nobody else does. And I see the world in each of them. Remember, we are people too.
