My best benefit was 'taking it with you'. People confuse work with toil and too often restaurant work is felt to be toil, even when it needn't be. Work rewards in ways that transcend mere financial return because one looks forward to it and feels like, indeed is, more for having done it. It is edifying. Toil, on the other hand, is an exchange frequently characterized by diminishing returns; putting lots of physical and emotional energy out while focused on only how much money will be earned from it. Earning is always positive but when it is only about a paycheck it is daunting, wearisome and one certainly doesn't look forward to it with positive excitement.

The enriching experiences from trafficing in so many ways, with so many fascinating and inspiring personalities is priceless and furthermore very educational about people and life at large. Those experiences enrich the character, the soul and can never be lost or consumed like other forms of compensation.