Esoteric Restaurateuring
Finding the Real: Our Journey Through Values, Teamwork and Deeper Connection
When Janet and I drilled down into the core values that drive our behaviors in the business, we understood that ‘striving’ occupied the top slot. Sometime late in the pandemic, we saw that Striving had taken a step back, overtaken by Wellbeing. Everybody simply wanted things to be okay.
In the vision statements I’ve built for previous businesses I've owned, Truth was always Number 1. It was stated:
"A commitment to the Truth functions as both the driving force and the compass for all of our relationships and transactions. Truth is the cornerstone of the process by which we create what is real and of lasting value in life.”
This dedication to what is authentic and meaningful naturally guides us to explore deeper levels of connection and understanding, not just in our products, but in our interactions. “Truth” in past vision statements was invariably followed by statements on Freedom and Courage. So Truth, Freedom and Courage stayed on the list with Striving and Wellbeing, to which we add statements for Creativity, Generosity and Excellence.
And I wonder: Is Truth, in its most profound sense, climbing back into First Place?
It’s All About Team, Rooted in Authenticity
In a recent staff meeting, I shared my belief that the crew we have currently assembled, both front and back of house, is the highest caliber and most talented group of individuals we have had the pleasure to work with. But talent alone isn't enough. We cannot survive, let alone thrive, in these challenging times, as a bunch of talented individuals. We can only pull off that miracle as a team. These days, it's all about team.
It needs to be clear to every individual on our team that our customers choose us for the experience. That experience contains certain tangible ingredients, such as taste, texture, and delivery. But we believe we are especially distinguished by the "soft ingredients" of the experience we provide: warmth, recognition, acknowledgment, generosity, empathy, kindness, humor. Humanness. Love.
One can contrive taste and texture and deliver it every time. One can create ambiance and develop a skilled delivery service. But one cannot contrive empathy or kindness. These vital, soft ingredients must be genuinely "of" who we are, as individuals and as a team. They spring from a place of authentic connection. Sensing this, it has become more pressing than ever to nurture the forces that feed this culture of genuine connection and to prune the negativism that claws at the fabric of family and hospitality.
Thus, consciousness is on the radar. The door to understanding the underpinnings of the cosmos has been kicked open by non-verbal, autistic individuals that, it turns out, are virtually all telepathic, among many other remarkable gifts. The phenomenon of their worldwide telepathic gathering at a place they call The Hill, their ability to read minds, foretell the future and acquire knowledge has been irrefutably established. Many teachers and therapists have known this for decades, but attesting to their observations has consistently resulted in dismissal, loss of certifications and referrals for psychoanalysis.
Where is Jeff Newton now?
When I was a kid we all had Stingray bicycles. Jeff Newton could do a wheelie the entire length of the block. He was the only one who could come close to that feat. We’d run alongside and count the pedal rotations, seeking new records. Then, the reality of wheelies crept into the ether. Now look what kids can do on their bikes. Mightn’t the “Telepathy Tapes” be the BMX to Jeff’s Stingray?
In recent years we’ve seen marketers and politicians sever their connective tissue to the truth in the interest of their objectives. To these, it’s the outcome that matters and fishing for those results with putrid bait is just part of the game.
Truth is embedded in consciousness.
Will these new shared insights provide the fuel for truth to emerge and confront deceit? Is this how the energetic will gain its rightful place alongside the material? These amazing things that we are learning from the gifts of non-speakers frame and give sustenance to notions and concepts that hitherto have dwelt almost solely in the land of Faith. That is, faith expressed as things we “know’ but can’t prove. But here, in these nascent realizations, Faith is indeed an actualizing force. Faith is how you move mountains…
There are mountains to move!
I wonder. If we at Bethany’s Table succeed in fostering a unified perspective amongst the entire team, and shave the wayward tendrils that otherwise entangle us, will the energy we produce reach beyond the material? Will more pilgrims seeking that which is real find us? Will those of you who know us find greater comfort? Will we be distinguished as something real in these times filled with meaningless words and phrases?
Us individuals tire as we blaze the frontier in this Age of Consciousness Soul. The Siren’s Song of tribe sings to lure us to its familiar bosom. We don’t want to be that place for you. We simply want to include you. We want to be a different brand of refuge, a place to meet and be consciously well met. If there is to be a groundswell in the science of consciousness, it’s the wave we want to ride. Will you join us? Make a reservation now.
