Rita's(:

Rita's Italian Ice is a cute little custard and ice shop that started in Philidelphia and made its way down south. North Carolina has been one of the first southern states to acquire a Rita's, and it is spreading as fast as ice can melt.

Rita's opened in 1968 by a man who set out to discover how to make the perfect Italian ice. He started with only two flavors, cherry and lemon and named the shop after his wife, Rita, to whom he dedicated the shop. How do I know so much about Rita's? I work there! In fact, it happens to be my first job and it has been such a fun experience.

I show up to work and the first thing I do is wash my hands. Then, I usually check to make sure we have enough spoons, wash rags, straws, cookie pieces, hand sanitizer, napkins, etc. Once I have restocked, my job moves to making sure the front of the store has been swept and the tables have been cleaned. Rita's takes cleanliness very seriously. Who would want dust in their ice?

Every thirty minutes my duty is to pump the ice. This pumps the flavored juice that has sunk to the bottom back up and into the ice. We use a long iron rod with a circular end about the size of a canteloupe. The rod has little holes inside it that circulates the ice through it and separates any ice chunks that may have formed. This can be a hard job and it definately makes work more tiring, but fortunately works off the treats I get every day. The official line is, 'keeping the ice fresh and tasty is a top priority' . . . I am happy to do it.

My favorite treat to make is a Misto Shake. This is a smoothie made with the Italian ice blended with liquid custard. I love blending these and watching the custard as it mixes up through the ice and completely changes the color of this delicous drink.

The newest skill I've learned is how to use the cash register. However, I must admit that my least favorite thing to do is counting the money in my cash register drawer before I start cashiering. We have to do this to ensure that there is a certain amount of money inside when we begin, and then balance the beginning amount when we're done for the day. This way my boss can check and make sure they have the correct amount of money and if they don't - big trouble! This always makes me nervous because I have never been good at counting money and I mess up a lot . . . but I'm not a thief . . . K-ching!

Those are all my duties unless I work the night shift. On those nights I have the extra closing duties which include taking out the trash, cleaning the bathroom, sweeping, and mopping the entire shop (including the back room.) On my way out to the car I drop the trash in the dumpster and then I'm on my way home!

I am always tired when I get home, but I never dread going back to work the next day. Rita's is a wonderful job to have. I love my bosses, I love the smell of the ice; I love how laid back it is; I love the treats; and of course I love the customers!

Oh, and did I mention my yellow shirt?!

Perfection.

Perfection. Perfection is what this world strives for, lives for, and works to achieve. It is an expectation that we set for ourselves. It is also expectation that we will never attain. So much energy is spent trying to reach the bar, but we can only get so close before we are completely knocked down by a mistake.


Humans are like little ants running around convinced that they will become giant elephants if they take enough food to the colony. In the same way, we think that if we do enough good things we can finally reach the standard that we have set for ourselves. We think we will look more attractive than others, that we will master any work that we in which we are involved, and that we will never have arguments with other humans unless it is their fault. This outlook is attractive, but it is completely upside down.

Many times we find the person that we aspire to be and we work to emulate them. We miss the truth that even the people who seem to have it all together can be just as torn apart as we are. We all make mistakes and learn from them in our own different ways. We are a lot like colors which are unique but blend together to make a magnificent picture. If we were all the same, the picture would just be one color. Different colors are what make a picture beautiful and worth looking at, so don't blend in!

God is perfect and He created an imperfect world that needed to rely on Him. That was His perfect will. While we bustle around bringing food to our colonies there is a world spinning around us just waiting for us to take a break and find something that can truly satisfy our hunger. No matter how many meals we eat we will never be satisfied forever, because we are not self-sustainable. We are not perfect.

Many people realize this and decide that the world is a horrible place. Always working and never achieving sounds like a giant waste of time. This is because it is so easy to look for beauty in ourselves, but it will always be impossible to find it. Beauty in creation is right at our fingertips, but it is hard to take our eyes off of ourselves and find it. We are so busy thinking about the imperfections in us instead of looking around and seeing the perfection that God has created around us.

The world is beautiful and it is a gift. While we are in this world we cannot ever reach perfection, and we will never be satisfied; but the sun, the stars, the flowers, the oceans, the deserts; this is the creation that gives hope for future satisfaction. Life on earth can be disappointing, but we should not be convinced that it is pointless. It is filled with difficulties, but it will never be impossible. We are just here until we can finally see the day when false expectations of ourselves will be made true, and the goals that we have set will become reachable.

So here are a couple of tips. For once, instead of sitting inside and looking at a computer screen, or thinking about all the work there is to do; go outside! Sit down and look at the beauty that can be found there. There is no beauty in thinking about things that we will never accomplish, but there is beauty in seeing what has already been accomplished by the Lord.

Lastly, Next time you consider comparing yourself to the next guy, think about how much happier you would be if you learned to be who God created you to be. Do not be afraid to add your special color to the picture! God is pleased when you are working to be the person who He wants you to be. This will never be easy, and will always take work; but instead of trying to be "perfect" or trying to be "like her," just try to be who God wants you to be. That is a person who seeks His will and gives glory to Him in every situation.

Once you take your mind off of imperfections of your world and realize the perfection of God's world, you will find hope and encouragement. Yes, perfection is quite impossible for us; but perfection is not impossible for God! So I dare you... find God's perfection today. Whether it is in the beauty of His creation or the love shared between you and a dear friend. Find it and thank God for sharing His beauty with us.