The Omelet Guru

I’ll admit I was a doubting Thomas.  Hotel breakfast buffets can be downright scary.   On this beautiful May morning however, things were looking up. This hotel breakfast buffet had a made to order omelet station.  Score!

Standing behind the omelet station was Sammy.  In his white chef’s hat and jacket, Sammy was manning the omelet bar with a big smile and a warm greeting for everyone who passed by.  He took my omelet order and we fell into a discussion about a celebrity divorce story blaring away on the flat screen TV anchored to the wall behind us.

Sammy announced that divorce was bad and declared in a thick and indeterminable accent, “It is  simple.  I treat my wife good and she treats me good.  Simple”    

I decided Sammy was a wise man, tipped him a dollar and polished off his delicious omelet before heading out to work. 

The next morning I wandered down to breakfast and was again greeted by Sammy and his huge grin. “What can I get you this morning beautiful lady?”  Yes, it had been confirmed, Sammy was a very wise man.  

I asked Sammy how he was doing this morning.  “Great,” he said, “Beautiful” he said.   

Then Sammy told me why.

“Every day I wake up and I am happy.  You know why?  It is my day and nothing that goes wrong is going to bother me.  I do the best I can and if my car does not start?  So what.  It has nothing to do with me.  It is not my fault!"

Sammy was building a full head of steam and become more animated.  “And you know what?  I make money, money does not make me.  I work hard and earn my living but you know what people do?"

I shook my head no. 

Waving his spatula he declared, “They work and work and work and work.  I say ‘Good for you, you like work’ but you know what they forget?”   

Once again I gave a negative shake.

Sammy leaned over the work station and exclaimed “Love!  They forget about the love.  What is all the money in the world worth if you don’t have any love!   

“You know what they are missing?” Sammy asked.

And before I could reply he said, “Balance.  It’s all about balance” 

With that Sammy got so excited he knocked the omelet pan off the burner and lost most of the egg mixture as it spilled on to the table. 

Alarmed I asked “Are you okay?”
Sammy waved off my concern with his spatula and said "No problem I do that all the time" and kept right on cooking and talking.

When he was finished constructing my omelet he handed it off to me with a joy filled flourish and asked if I was coming in for breakfast tomorrow.   

“No??” He frowned “That is too bad I wanted to talk to you some more. “

$11.95 for a lesson in Grace, joy, love, and balance.  And he threw in a great spinach and mushroom omelet.  A bargain any way you look at it.