Dani sat back out on the porch doing her homework. She was making a list of groups that would benefit from her particular skills. So far it was a long one. Homeless, shelters for women and children, preschool programs in rougher parts of the Bay Area, nursing home residents, and the list went on. There was no shortage of people who needed consistent access to affordable quality food. But none of those groups really fired her up. Her list was almost obscured by the random doodles in the margins. She was stalled. She knew she hadn’t hit upon just the right audience yet. If only she could keep cooking for Mrs. Grady and the others.
The image sprang fully formed into her head. All of her aunt’s friends sitting around a table in a diner type restaurant, and Dani serving her signature meals from the kitchen in the back. Her imagination continued to fill in the picture. Who else would eat here? Other vets in the area might like getting out a night or two a week. They’d fit right in with her friends. If she put the restaurant close to the VA, they could stop in after their appointments.
Excitement bubbled in her veins. She had so many veterans in her life whom she cared for and whose sacrifices she respected. It was her most satisfying moment of the week watching them enjoy her cooking. Why not just expand the table? Surely there were other people who would want home cooked meals.
But what would set her apart from any other restaurant on her street? Why didn’t these people use other restaurants? Price. Most vets lived on a limited income if they were retired. And if they were homeless vets, price was even more of an issue. That’s why she helped provide the groceries for her meals with Mrs. Grady. If she kept doing dinners just like she was at home, could she keep costs low enough?
Sandwiches at lunch with fresh fruit and a salad, a family style dinner with a main protein, starch, and veggies, some kind of dessert, and coffee, tea, or water. Keep the options limited to keep costs low, and she could pass all those savings along to her customers. Maybe even add a “Pay It Forward’ scheme to pre-fund dinner for the homeless. It just might work!
Her mind swirling with ideas, her hand struggled to keep up, jotting down notes and questions as they flittered through. At the end of an hour, she had a plan. There were still tons of details to research, food costs/suppliers to price, menus to plan, permits to apply for, and probably small business and food prep classes in her future, but it was a plan! She struggled briefly to contain her excitement, and gave up, doing a happy dance around the porch and grinning from ear to ear. She looked at the clock and realized that it was time for the final session of the retreat. Gathering her notes, she ran inside.
She slipped into the last open seat around the circle of cozy chairs that had been set up in the parlor. The other five participants and Jamie were already seated and discussing the realizations the others had reached. The range of responses was quite varied but all overwhelmingly positive. Clearly, Jamie was very good at her job.
“I’m going to turn my crafting hobby into a cottage business. Now that I’m not sitting in the bleachers for games, I can use that time to make the wreaths and buntings my friends request. I’m going to turn one of the bedrooms into a craft room and open a storefront on Etsy.” This was from Angela, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“I’m going to finally retire from my company, and let the young bucks take the reins. Because I’ll be busy setting up a non-profit project to run in my retirement that will provide job skill training and mentoring for young people looking to enter the tech field.” The CEO seemed content with her decisions, where at the beginning of the retreat she had been unable to disengage from work until Jamie had taken away her phone.
Everyone around the circle had found a new path to follow on their way home. When it came to her, Dani smiled and described her vision.
“I know and love a lot of veterans. These are people who made sacrifices for our country and came home to try and pick up the reins of a normal life. Some have adjusted better than others. Many of them are aging and beginning to live on fixed incomes. They face monetary and health challenges. There is the added struggle of dealing with the memories of their time in the service. They tend to be isolated unless they are lucky enough to live in my building where isolation is a foreign concept. There are vets in every generation, many forgotten by all but history.
"There is a group of people that I cook for every week, and I know that for many it’s the only home cooked meal they have all week long. I know they are not the only ones with this struggle. I live around the corner from the VA clinic, and I see people with similar challenges every day, waiting for the bus or walking back home. So, here’s my idea: a restaurant and gathering place, open to everyone, but initially advertised to the vets coming and going in the neighborhood. A healthy, home-cooked meal at a low, fixed price, and the company of other vets. A place to come and grab a cup of coffee and a slice of pie and shoot the shit with other vets. A place to build community, and provide steady nutrition to a needy population. What do you think?”
The chorus of positive thoughts from around the circle warmed Dani’s heart and buoyed her enthusiasm. This could work. This could really work.
Jamie ended the session with a follow-up plan.
“You have all made a lot of progress this weekend. I know it has been intense, and you’ve done a lot of soul searching and creative processing. I don’t want you to lose the euphoria and excitement of this weekend as you go back into your daily lives, your demanding routines, and your commitments. I’d like to schedule follow-up phone sessions every other week so we can keep this positive momentum.
"I am also going to charge you each with setting up a support system at home. We get so focused on making it, that we think we have to make it on our own. This is not true, and very rarely possible.
"Picture the most put-together, successful person you can think of, and I guarantee there are between 5 and 10 people who have actively supported them and helped them get to where they are today, if not more. Take Oprah, for example. By the time her show went off the air, she had an entire company whose focus was helping her get it together to share her gift with the world.
"Your last homework assignment of the weekend is to imagine your failure. Get specific. What will get in the way of making this happen? Are there toxic elements in your life that will attempt to derail your plans? Will you sabotage yourself and how? This may seem like a big downer at the end of this great weekend, but if you can see the pitfalls ahead of time, you can plan to avoid them.
"Once you have your list, think of specific people in your life who you can ask for help. Do you need time away from your current job to do the planning necessary for your new idea? Talk to a co-worker about switching shifts or approach your boss for a more flexible schedule. Are childcare duties going to draw your time away from getting your goals accomplished? Get a regular sitter or your spouse to come and free up some of your time. Do you get distracted easily or lose steam? Designate one or two friends to check in with you and keep you motivated. Tap your biggest cheerleaders for support. I’m so proud of all the progress you’ve made this weekend! I’ll talk to you soon!”