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CHAPTER 2: ZION PONDEROSA
Things down at the resort started out remarkable. I was having the time of my life and everything was going according to plan. Here are some of the things I was saying on here the first couple weeks:
“I'm looking forward to getting back in the kitchen.”
“Everything looks good for me to be able to go to church and stay active.”
“Things are going good. I'm getting plenty of sleep.”
“they seriously can't stress enough to me how much they wanted me to come down and work and learn and be a part of the kitchen this year. I will say though, it feels good to be wanted and appreciated...especially after some of the jobs I've had.”
“So far, everything is good down here.”
“I'm looking forward to getting back in the kitchen.”
“Everything looks good for me to be able to go to church and stay active.”
“Things are going good. I'm getting plenty of sleep.”
“they seriously can't stress enough to me how much they wanted me to come down and work and learn and be a part of the kitchen this year. I will say though, it feels good to be wanted and appreciated...especially after some of the jobs I've had.”
“So far, everything is good down here.”
“I have come to an absolute, 100,000,000% for sure conclusion that being here this summer is, without any sliver of doubt, the best and right place for me to be at this time in my life.”
Before I go any further, let me say right now, that although things changed drastically, I still believe that being there was the right place for me to be this summer. The following remarks are the carefully thought out words I shared a couple months after I had left.
After hanging out with some resort friends this evening, I found myself on the ZPR Facebook page. I began looking through photos of this season and came across this one of me working a dutch oven with Dave.
I made it through a lot with Dave. When things got heated (and we all know just how heated they could get) in the kitchen, Dave and I pushed through together. I remember the day Dave first started. I was given a brief background of him, basically that he had been living homeless in Vegas and was now coming to work for us. For the first few weeks, I was extremely critical of him in my mind. As I got to know him, Dave became one of my most loyal workers and a friend. I told him he could not leave and that we had to stick together. Then, when Dave was in the hospital getting his chest tested for a possible recurrence of cancer, he told Frances to make sure to tell me that he would be back and that he wasn't going anywhere. Dave never left.
I met a lot of other people this summer. Though admittedly I was often a very grumpy and tired person, I am grateful for everyone who got to know me and who invited me to go on hikes and play volleyball and canyoneer and go to movies. I had little free time but you all helped me make the most of it.
I took the job with nothing but selfish ambitions. I gave no thought to who I might meet or how my life might be influenced by them. I just wanted to become a chef. Looking back, I'm glad I took that job. The job itself was a living Hell, parts of which I hope I never have to relive, but the experiences I gained outside of the kitchen are what I will always remember. Those hikes and games and movies stand out far above the tense moments at work and I'm sitting here in Logan, absolutely thrilled with the prospects that lie ahead for me, because of you all. That picture of Dave and I will always remind me of the surprises you never expect. This summer wasn't about me, it was about all of us.I would like to add that I learned tons in the kitchen and grew tremendously there as well, which is what ultimately solidified my future far north in Logan...
TO BE COMPLETED...
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