So you're opening a restaurant

Advice I wrote for an opening but never had the chance to give.

To fail to plan is a plan to fail:

Buy new underwear.

Buy new socks, maybe even two packs. Hide at pair or two from yourself to find when you really need to do something nice for yourself one day.

Make sure you have the following in your bathroom:

Bottle of hydrogen peroxide in the shower.

Fresh bottle of ibuprofen.

Epsom salts for a bath or a foot soak.

Small hard rubber ball to roll out your feet.

When your legs are swollen and your veins are popping at the end of the night and you want to weep about how you’ve aged and ruined your body, lie on the floor or your bed on your back with your legs up the wall. Hang out for as long as possible. Turn your ankles around, bend your knees, move around. Let the blood flow down.

Going to a bar creates an artificial sense of energy. That energy is a fucking lie. Just go home, have a drink with your feet up and go to sleep.

Be wary of going out with everyone after work. Ask yourself, is this person working 80 or 100 hours a week? Or do they sleep?

Buy some moisturizer. Dry skin will just make you sad.

Get a manicure and pedicure before opening if you can swing it.

A heating pad never hurt anybody.

Know this: your body needs rest to recover from these long days of work. Prioritize it. Your tendons will thank you.

Get laid if you’re feeling it. It’s ok to revisit people you’ve slept with before, unless it’s a bad idea.

Charge your vibrator.