Somewhere between the salsa and chips and the third glass of Diet Coke, something hit me like a stick hitting a piñata.

The best way I know to sum it up is by quoting the 20th century gossip columnist and professional hostess, Elsa Maxwell who once said:

“Someone said that life is a party. You join in after it’s started and leave before it’s finished.”

On Friday afternoon, I had an epiphany sitting in a booth of the non-smoking section of La Fiesta Grande Mexican restaurant.

The lesson came from an anonymous bus boy I saw working from across the room — life is a party, and you’ve got to throw yourself into if you truly want to enjoy it.

The efficiency of La Fiesta Grande restaurant has always amazed me. The staff works like an army with the sole goal of getting you your food quickly and getting you on your way.

It was relatively late in the lunch day as we headed into to the place, approaching 1:30 p.m., so the normal lunchtime rush hour was nearly over.

So it came as a great shock to me that the bus boy cleaning the table next to us was doing so with incredible speed.

Certainly no money-toting patrons were standing in the lobby waiting for a spot.

Yet arms were flying, the tail of the rag whipping in the wind as it swirled the tabletop clean.

“Man, look at that guy go,” I told my companion. “That guy’s really getting after it.”

My college Spanish is un poco rusty, but I think La Fiesta Grande roughly translates to either the big party or the big celebration.

Interestingly, one would think that if anyone in the building had reason not to be excited about work and had reason not to be putting 110 percent effort into things, logic would point to the bus boy. It’s not exactly a primo position.

Watching the guy work, it only took a minute before I starting thinking of what would happen if that level of enthusiasm about work was contagious.

Can you imagine what it would be like if you walked into a store and the workers were leaping up to help you?

Further still, imagine what it would be like if government followed the same training regime.

You’d likely faint if you walked into the driver’s license bureau to get your driver’s license and the people working there said, “Hello, welcome! Step on up and we’ll get you taken care of right now.

“Can we get you something to drink while you wait?”

Imagine how incredibly different the shopping experience at Wal-Mart would be (yes, I might actually go if the service was so good).

If a bus boy can be that motivated and that excited to do his job and do it well, couldn’t we all smile a little wider come Monday morning, kick up our heels and be a little more peppy?

What would happen if everyone in Natchez followed the bus boy’s lead and hustled at everything we did?

The possibilities are incredible, the impact unimaginable.

Who knows, the next “great celebration” may be in your life. In the meantime, pass the chips and let’s enjoy the party of life.

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.