We walked into the Midtown Diner around 12:15pm. The place was filled with the buzz of lively conversations, the clinking of dishes, the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee, and the rush of servers taking orders and serving meals. We were seated at the last available table, a booth near the door. Our server appeared. The label pinned to her uniform told us her name was Victoria. She looked to be about 30-something, with long, blond hair pulled back in a tight, high pony tail, more than enough make-up, and long artificial nails painted bright red. In a thick New Jersey accent she asked, "Can I start you ladies with coffee?"
That was a definite yes. She poured.
"So, are you ready to order?"
Kelly and Paige placed their orders.
I said, "I'll have the Western omelet, whole wheat toast and hash browns."
As she wrote, she said, "That'll be the Western omelet, whole wheat toast, and fries."
"No, I'd like the hash browns."
"French fries come with that."
"It says here that I have my choice between hash browns and American fries, and I'd like the hash browns - please."
"Well, its after noon, and we don't serve hash browns or American fries after noon."
"Hmmm...well, I..."
Victoria looked up from her order pad, straight at me and said, "Honey, here at the Midtown Diner, you don't get what you order. You get what we give you."
"Uh...okay, then, fries will be fine."
Do you ever feel like you just didn't get the life you ordered? You probably had plans, maybe big ones - maybe not - but most likely they were plans to live comfortably; physically, socially, spiritually, financially. But no matter what your plans were, it's more than likely that the list for the life you ordered did not include anything even close to living with chronic illness, debilitating paralysis, the tragic loss of - or the failure to reach - a child, constant pain, fatigue, extreme shortness of breath, the need for a host of daily medications, or oxygen - either for yourself or a loved one.
Real life is not easy. In fact, it can be downright brutal. And often it's not at all fair. And when something difficult, even unbearable, comes along, as much as we wish we could, we can't just say, "That's not what I ordered. Take it back." All we can hope for is to live with grace and dignity, learn something positive from our hardships, and become a better person in the process.
For me, in the years since that trip I've discovered that if I hang in there and pray hard for strength to face the challenges I've been given, I can, most of the time, find a way to be content and happy and live a full life. I just have to do my best each day to make the most of - not what I ordered, but - whatever has been put on my plate. I'm glad we went to New York that weekend. I learned a lot - about people, my daughter, and myself. And you know what else I learned? French Fries with breakfast are just fine.
Like what you're reading? Get email notifications when Jane M. Martin posts, or get updates on Facebook, iGoogle, your personal blog and more!
