Hope refuses to think about retiring even though her seven grown children can readily handle the day-to-day operations of the business. Hope is smart because when people stop working they die. The average American male who has worked 40 years and retires to the easy chair is dead within 36 months. Retirement is a new idea and it is a bad idea. People can work fewer hours and try new careers, but we shouldn't retire. Hope loves people and loves serving them the recipes her Mother brought to this country from Mexico. What she does is exciting and noble.

Topic for Discussion: Why did Jodi, Hope's daughter-in-law, start working at the restaurant?

Answer: Because Jodi's husband, Lanny, was always working at the restaurant, and it was the only way Jodi could spend time with him. Almost 30 years later, Jodi and Lanny are still at the restaurant more than they are not.

Topic for Discussion: Does running a successful restaurant look like slavery?

Answer: Yes, if you don't love it. However, when you find work you love, you have boundless energy for it. Just like you want to be with the person you love, you want to be involved in the activities you love.

Topic for Discussion: What did Lanny say is needed if you want to start a restaurant?

Answer: He said you have to love cooking and love washing the dishes too. Lanny, who is the president/CEO of Joe T. Garcia's, learned by absorption. He credits his grandmother. But, he was raised in the kitchen; and not only learned how to cook, he learned how to treat people, how to manage money, and how to mop the floor.

You think about it: Do you love your work? If not, why not quit?