Reminders of why we do it

Okay, obviously I am a chef because I haven't won the lottery yet./img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif But occasionally we all get little reminders of why we do this job as opposed to selling cars or something. Today was one of those little things that confirms that I'm in the right place. A woman called in to see if we had broccoli cheese soup today. We get a lot of older folks at lunch and soup is a big draw for them. A few days ago I made a small batch to use up some cheese samples that a vendor had brought in. Turns out the woman's mother is in pallative/hospice care; she had brought some of that soup to her and she said it was the first time she'd seen her smile in months. I will confess, I think that I had one manly tear running down my cheek as the hostess told me that. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/crying.gif

Such a little thing reminds me just how huge the little things are sometimes. It reminds me why I keep busting my ass and beating up my feet and knees year in year out./img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif

What was the last thing that made you grateful to be cooking instead of doing something else?