Work, ethic

I have hired people.
I have fired people.
I have worked jobs that I was bad at (wine waiter and bar bouncer come to mind).
I have been fired by people. (see above).
I have been a boss, an owner and a grunt. I’ve washed dishes in the kitchen at a ski resort and worked three days straight without sleep because I owned the business.

And with all the talk of “work ethic” in this town I must say that I’ve seen some of the hardest working people I’ve ever met doing it here. Some own the business. Others just work at a business. But certain people around here take obvious pride in their product. I’ve also seen some of the biggest slackers ever. Welcome to life in a resort town.

The bottom line that might be remembered by everyone in the CB working climate—no one in recent memory moved here just to work. People work in Crested Butte to live in Crested Butte. To ride their bikes, to hike the mountains, to run the rivers and ski the slopes.
Most of us could probably make more money spending eight hours a day in a cubicle or owning a shop in a metropolitan downtown. But we’d be in a cubicle or a metro. We all choose to live in a small mountain community and take the fruits and trade offs of that. If the choice is a powder morning or picking up another shift, 99 out of 100 will choose pow. It’s the high mountain culture.

Whether you are a grunt in the background or the big kahuna at the front of the house, don’t forget why it is we are here. Look up from the computer or kitchen line or spread sheet and check out the mountains, the rainbows and rivers.
Very few people move to 9,000 feet in paradise to build their resume or climb a corporate ladder. It is to live. And living here is different than living in a city. For that we should find gratitude every day…whether you are the owner or the dishwasher.
If nothing else, the recent community discussion might be a reminder to the workers and the bosses—that through it all, respect and hard work make it possible for all of us to live…and (more importantly) play here.

Here’s to a summer of fun, respect and prosperity for all. Work hard. Play harder.