Saturday, July 02, 2005

Chris the Bouncer

My job allows me the opportunity to wear a lot of hats. Really, no day is ever the same, which in many ways is good. My former roommate Ryan had one of those jobs that was the same thing every day, and I doubt I could ever handle that.

That hat on Thursday was bouncer. Seriously. Those who know my physical make-up, know that Chris Winkler serving as front-door security--the only front-door security--at a soup kitchen in a tough part of Oakland is something like Steve Urkel playing quarterback. It's just not a natural role. As a skinny little white guy, I don't quite exude "Don't even think about going through this line until I say it's okay."

Needless to say, this role got off to somewhat of an awkward start. But once I got the hang of how the system was supposed to work, and some of the regulars (guests could come back through the line as many times as possible) started to open up with me, things were rolling. Only one small scuffle broke out, and I was able to carry on some fun conversations with guests as they were waiting in line. What started as a somewhat nerve-wracking job turned into one of my favorite "hats" to wear.

If anyone was wondering, I was serving at the St. Vincent de Paul Free Dining Room.

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