What I Learned from Taco Bell

“A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel”- Prov. 1:5 The summer after my freshman year in high school, I worked at the Taco Bell restaurant in south Fort Worth. I’m still not exactly sure why I got that job. My brothers were all working that summer and I copied everything they did. It was a tough experience for sure, but I learned valuable life lessons that only that time at Taco Bell could teach me. The Lord wants to use every experience to teach us. Every season has lessons to be learned, if we’re teachable. 1. It’s scary to step out- There weren’t a lot of places that were hiring that summer. As I called through the classified ads in the paper, I came upon Taco Bell. I called and interviewed and they hired me. Years later, my parents confessed that they were concerned about me working on the “south side” of Fort Worth. I was concerned as well. But they let me step out and risk. They let me go. They let me begin learning how to depend on the Lord. As the youngest child, I needed to learn to walk on my own two feet on my own path. It was a little risky for sure, but there is no progress without risk. 2. Road blocks are a part of the journey- Being new on the job, I got the worst hours. I worked weekends, 5:00pm until closing at 11:00pm. Those were crazy times to be selling Tacos on the south side of town. Naive Joey made some poor decisions for sure. An older teenage co-worker asked to borrow my ’69 Camero one night after his shift and I said “sure.” He took my car with friends and smoked pot in the car. It reeked when I took it home. My dad had a firm talk with me about boundaries. 3. You can’t judge a book by its cover- My fellow co-workers were a crazy mix of young and old, of men and women, of multiple races and a variety of perspectives on life. In the back of the store, I heard a lot of interesting perspectives and philosophies on life. Honestly, some of the most “downtrodden” looking people were the most sincere and honest. Sometimes it was the educated good-looking people who cheated on their time cards. 4. We pay a price for our adventures- I think I made a whopping $1.60 an hour working at Taco Bell in 1973. Yes, I made money and a dollar went a longer way back then. A stamp cost 8 cents, gas was 65 cents a gallon, and you could buy a nice car for $3000 and a nice house for 47K. I worked long hard hours late at night but made very little money. I gave up free time with my friends but the experience was life changing. It was my first experience actually working for someone. I felt a sense of pride when I drove home at night. 5. Don’t eat too many Taco’s- To this day, I don’t get real excited about eating at Taco Bell. We had access to all of the menu items during breaks (or at least we took free rein) and we ate and ate and ate some more. Chips and tacos and Enchiritos became my summertime staple diet. As they say, “too much of a good thing” can be a hindrance. I was definitely hindered that summer. Thank you Taco Bell for teaching me even more than I probably realize. Moms and dads, let your kids take risks. Don’t micro-manage their adventures. Let them stretch and try new things. Let them fail. Let them succeed. Let it be their doing. Let them reach out and try new jobs and sports and activities. Yes, be the parent and steer them away from damaging circumstances, but let them grow up. Let them experience independence as they “branch out” and continued dependence as they lean on the Lord. Let them venture into circumstances to learn life lessons. They will grow and be nourished… …even eating taco’s. By Eric Joseph Staples © www.lifeaid101.com