Patricia Mulcahy is a writer and editorial consultant in New York City. She is the co-author of It Is Well with My Soul: The Extraordinary Life of a 106-Year-Old Woman, with Ella Mae Cheeks Johnson (Penguin, 2010) and Making Masterpiece: Behind the Scenes at PBS' Masterpiece and Mystery!, with Rebecca Eaton (Viking, 2013). Her work has also appeared in Publishers Weekly and the anthology Brooklyn Noir 3 (Akashic Books). She owned the coffee shop Tillie's of Brooklyn in the Fort Greene neighborhood from 1997-2011.
To me, service is a transaction, and when you serve with real commitment, you might be on the receiving end of an appreciation that feels like a form of love.