life @ Oneness

I have been living in Coogee for over 6 weeks now-- I feel absolutely lucky to live so close to the sea & especially to work even closer to it. When I first applied at Oneness, I already had a job lined up at a vegan wholefood restaurant in the city, I was thrilled to start at Iku, but after wondering into Oneness (for a soy dandelion latte) & speaking with the owner of the place, I felt it was a better fit for me since it was all about Oneness and so close to home. We spoke for a bit and she asked if I had a resume & if I could start that weekend--I was stoked as!

My first shift was a busy Saturday--it was intense! I felt as if I had been dropped into a swimming pool without knowing how to swim. I had no knowledge of the menu, or how Australian cafes worked. I just went with it though, thankful that I had a job. It only took me a few more shifts to feel comfortable with the menu & the overall business. However, also within that time I discovered that the owner was not always the friendliest person in the world. She owns a business that is suppose to encourage Oneness, the idea that we are all One--We are not separate from anything or anyone in the Universe. It's quite a beautiful concept & one that I fully embrace. The place is blissed out with buddhas and inspirational cards, free natural health magazines, etc. We have the best organic coffee & teas on Earth as well. Actually, everything in the place I love--the decor & the customers, the food!! the coffee! & my co-workers are soooooooo beautiful. Yet, there is one person that changes the energy of the place--and that is the owner. She is rude, unfriendly, materialistic, fake, & so on. She makes me feel so uncomfortable on a daily basis. I actually have to meditate before & after work in order to make it through a shift. At first thought, I just wanted to quit. But I knew that was the incorrect thing to do. I could not just give up that easy. I knew this was just another lesson to be learned, I could survive one unfriendly person. I decided to make a list of the reasons why she was so angry all the time, first she is barely making a profit, if not just breaking even. The business has only been open for a year now, and things are still growing and changing all the time. She has had bad luck with employees, so now she trusts no one. She works every single day, without any breaks and once again does not trust anyone enough to take a day off from the store. She is overworked and underpaid. Yet, I still do not think these are valid reasons to be rude to your co-workers. I have decided to take a different approach to this uncomfortable situation. I will just send her daily love and light. I will do my best to be positive every shift and to start and leave just as positive. It is difficult though when every other person I works with despises her as well, and when she puts you down every hour on the hour. In spite of this, the sun, mercury and venus are moving through the sign of virgo, this is the perfect time to renew, rejuvenate and strengthen our individual ability to remain calm, centered, and in a personal space of gratitude and appreciation. These feelings, when cultivated and practiced on a regular, daily basis, will create an opening in our heart space, a lifting of our spirit awareness & a counter with the negativity I am experiencing in the workplace. I AM strong enough for this, I CAN make a difference (just by keeping positive) & I WILL survive this. This job is important to me-it pays the bills, allows me to enjoy extra little things for myself & helps me save travel money; Along with learning and challenging my ego. I only have a few more weeks then I am off to Asia, it's such a short time in the long span of life. Once again, I really am lucky to be living and working at the beach, all while eating beautiful foods & drinking lovely coffees.