“I have something for you. One minute.” 

It’s not the first time I’ve been comped a special treat from the kitchen. Sometimes you just hit it off with the waitstaff and they do something kind- little things like ‘here’s an extra basket of bread cause you’re clearly obsessed with it’ (even though it’s probably free anyway, hello Cheesecake Factory). 

We found ourselves at this new restaurant, one that I had only seen while driving by a few weeks before, by total chance. My other favorite establishment, serving sweet maduros, fluffy arepas, and savory empanadas, was a two hour wait, and this hungry group didn’t want to wait. 

When we arrived, uncertainty of their openness and quality of food washed over me, as there were only two other people in the entire restaurant. With widened eyes and a panicked beat the host asked us if our party of seven had a reservation. 

“A reservation?!” I asked. “Do we need one?” 

With no answer, he walked about the restaurant only to return moments later, gather menus, and not say a word as he gestured for us to follow him further inside. 

This seemed like we were off to an interesting start already…

It seemed to take a minute to rally our soon-to-be waiter bestie, but that was okay because with this crew we had plenty of energy to keep ourselves entertained. 

We placed our food orders first, before even getting to what we wanted to drink. As the waiter came back to see if we wanted any libations, we all looked at each other, hesitating to see if we wanted to keep drinking, or let that be something that the evening might still hold for us post-dinner. We’d already been at a brewery, and no one here was young enough to relish a hangover in the morning. 

“We make really good cocktails.” the waiter encouraged. And that was that. I have a hard time saying no to a good cocktail. Little did I know at the time, that this was an expert cocktail craftsman. 

Now, looking back on events, one of my favorite things to recall was the joy, the life, that group gatherings bring. I love a deep one-to-one conversation, where you drive connection into history, meaning, and ultimately trust. For group gatherings, there’s something different. There’s a fizzle, an energy, when everyone is comfortable and similarly minded. It’s an intangible of contentment that fuels psychological safety, and in turn ratchets up the happiness barometer. 

This was the moment we were at in the evening, and it was about to get off-the-charts. 

As the waiter came back with our cocktails (that were, in fact, delicious), we thanked him profusely in our joy-drunken state. He returned our warm smile and excitedly said, “I have something for you. One minute.” 

We all looked to each other as he ran into the back, sitting in casual anticipation. What would you know, he definitely did not come back with free food from the kitchen. 

He came back with a guitar, a microphone, and a small amp. 

He proceeded to serenade us with a song from The Monkeys, playing for our table, and to the entire restaurant. What delight! It takes courage, enjoyment, and total confidence (in my opinion), to offer such a vulnerable part of yourself to strangers. 

While mildly amused as much as delighted, we led the restaurant in wild applause, knowing that it would be the best thanks we could offer such a kind gift. 

That was just the beginning. 

Over the course of the evening, we learned that our waiter was a fascinating human, full of life and skill, an aptitude for risk and adventure, and as novel of a human as I could find. After living the life that society expected for him in another country, he had changed everything- his job and his surroundings. He lived in 3 different countries, worked as a sommelier, tattoo artist, singer and music producer, mixologist, and waiter. He had learned that life is short, and that the arts were worth the pursuit. 

When he said that his birthday had been two days before, I immediately yelled “go capricorns!” Absolutely delighted that such a novelty-wielding man had something in common with me. It was only after my friend pointed out that my birthday had also been two days before that we realized we had the exact same birthday. Serendipity! 

As he returned to the back of the house, we all looked at each other amazed at the breadth of what he had learned and done. Only to realize there were two more surprises. 

First, he brought his guitar back out to sing me a custom created rendition of Happy Birthday, and second, he created a unique cocktail just for me, with a giant bubble that he instructed must be popped close to the nose in order to fully experience the dynamic way the scent of the bubble would create anticipation for the taste of the drink. 

The whole evening, while not expecting anything but to try a new place with old friends, was an unexpected delight!

If you’re looking for similar novelty, here’s what I would recommend: 

This evening had a zero pre-joy rating because I had no idea to expect it happening. But man, does it get 5 stars for delivering a night not to be forgotten, and a bonding mechanism for all that were there. 

Talk soon,

Rachel
Leadership trainer, novelty junkie, and human being

P.S. This is a picture of me on the podcast, the one that cemented my journey to authorship. 

Thanks for joining me on my search for novelty and one human-centric leaders's journey towards a more balanced life.