Posted by Elizabeth

The outdoor portion of Zanarini's -- not the same as the experience at the stand-up bar.

We sidled up to the sleek bar at Zanarini, handed over our order – two cappuccinos – printed on a crisp white receipt, and let the magic begin.  Throngs of Italians crowded in around us, slugging espresso from tiny white cups in the standing position and briskly munching on perfectly flaky pastry crowned with almonds, dusted with sugar, and stuffed with velvety cream.  A team of attendants dressed in impeccable navy suits manned the bar, quickly taking orders, swishing rags across the counter at even the threat of a spill, and removing plates the second the last bite had been taken.  The master of ceremonies, deep in concentration, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, took his command at the back of the bar, juggling countless coffee orders at once behind the gleaming machine.  Soon a perfectly coiffed attendant placed our cappuccinos before us, a perfect cap of foam crowning the whole affair, alongside two small glasses of water.  The whole operation was a powerhouse of efficiency in a country that is otherwise marked by leisurely meals, the midday la pausa, and a general lack of urgency.

I watched this performance with fascination every morning during our stay in Bologna, struck by the life in pencil lessons endemic to the experience.  Not everything in life needs to be leisurely to be enjoyed; there is time and place for everything.  A good cup of coffee and excellent pastry could cure the ills of the world.  But the most important lesson came from those stylish coffee bar attendants who treated their job not as a job but a profession. Whatever your job is, do it well, give it attention, and treat it with respect. From their tailored suits to their constant attentiveness, the message they communicated was, “I care.”  And it wasn’t just the coffee attendants.  In restaurants I witnessed skilled waiters attend to their work as a craft, their passion for their product evident.  In shops I watched well-dressed professionals attend to their customers with genuine knowledge and conscientiousness, taking care of every last detail.  Living in a culture where service positions are largely – and sadly – regarded as an unskilled segment of the labor force, I wondered what a different world it would be if we all treated our work like the Italian coffee attendants do, approached with dignity.  Because it’s is not the work we do but the spirit in which we approach it that matters.

In what ways could you “rewrite” your relationship to your own work – however you define your work – to treat it with greater care and respect?