Bagel stew

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 3:30 I stand behind a till and take orders at the bagel shop on campus. It's an inviting spot full of windows floor to ceiling. On a day like today the sun's brilliant in there.Sometimes it slants across the till's computer screen and for a while, all we can see is dust, not words. Oh well.

Einstein Bros Bagels is behind all the golden glowy windows, bottom left, in the Commons.

  All day long I look into people's eyes and ask what I can get for them. I write that down and somebody else gets it while I take money and make change, except when it's credit. (People use credit for the tiniest charges, like a coffee refill--$1.05.)

After four days off of work, it can be a bit of a shock to the system to interact with dozens and dozens of people in a day, as attentively yet efficiently as possible, especially since Ben and I tend to cocoon over the weekend. Often we only emerge from the flat to go to church, and Winco after that, then it's back home to hibernate; study, read or goof off online some more.

Sometimes I think of Jesus serving people. Not bagels, but, you know. (Although we did have those episodes where He passed out bread and fish, on the house.) I'm glad that when I say, What can I do for you?, folks take it in context instead of asking me to heal their fractured elbows or suchlike.

Of course, unlike me, He could do that. What I do think I share with Him now, or at least understand better, is the state of feeling saturated in people. Giving  so much focused attention, and in His case, power, can leave you rather a puddle, lapping into other lives which swirl into yours. You take off your apron and stumble off to some mountaintop nook, try to remember who you are and how to wait on the presence of God. Get reshaped as a solo human being, restocked with breath and perspective.

Yah, we're in a Body, we Christians, and I wouldn't want it otherwise. But as distinct parts, joined or jointed...not in a stockpot melting into goulash. :)