I heart organizing.

Today is my 5th day of work at the University Store. I've come a long way from my first and second days, so I'm feeling pretty good. The first day, I basically followed my manager Larry (one of three) around as he made everything into a teaching moment. I met most of the other employees of the store, including those from the office, those in the mail room, and more! That day, I had an excuse for all of the mistakes I made, and I just shrugged everything off. By the end of the day, my cheeks hurt from smiling and grinning and looking oh-so-interested in everything that my bosses and co-workers said. Inside, I was dealing with information overload, my feet and lower back ached from standing all day, and I just wanted to crawl back into bed.

The second day, I was on my own while my boss followed me around and watched my every move. Almost every time, he had a pointer or two for me. That day was more exhausting than the first, in part because I hadn't slept well and my anxiety wore me out.

The third and fourth days were a beeze. Sure, I still had questions and a few problems, but I felt much better already. Everything is falling into place: the drive from my temporary home to work, the NJ crazy traffic, the parking situation, the standing, the breaks, the assignments I have in the store, getting to know my co-workers, etc.... God is good and faithful.

So many different people shop at the store. Local people, many tourists, and even more students and their families. This is the new student arrival weekend and upcoming week. It's going to be crazy busy this weekend, but that's fine because there's a good vibe in the store: people are excited to spend money, students are happy to be going to college, and the busier it is, the faster time flies! :) The largest transaction I've witnessed so far has been in the $875 range. Yikes!

I've helped several foreign customers with handling American money (especially change), I've helped several grown men pick out clothes for themselves or others (they normally get their wives' help), and I've even helped the undecisive customers, which isn't a pleasant experience. One guy was in the store for probably a good 30-45 minutes, asking me and everyone else which of two shirts he should get. They were pretty similar, one plain and one with an extra logo on the front and a big P on the back. I voted for the plainer one because he wanted something classy. He bought the other one, left, then came back later and fussed over his purchase again, asking new people their thoughts. He left, and came back AGAIN an hour later, exchanged his shirt for the plainer one. The whole time, he kept talking about how others would perceive him wearing one shirt or another, but in the end he (finally) realized that he liked simpler things. Too bad he took an entire afternoon to figure that out.

I helped another customer like that the other day. He was a new student from Bangladesh, and he couldn't decide what he should buy. The store has a lot of variety in merchandise. He wanted something to bring back to his country, except that nobody knows how good our school is because they've never heard of it. Oxford, England is the one they know and say "oooohhh". So I told him to tell his friends back home that our school is the Oxford of America. He liked that.

Retail life is very different from teaching. Of course there are pros and cons. I don't mind the uniform, except that I swim in the shirt, I don't mind doing transactions, I don't mind the changing hours (for now) until it interferes with church or other college activities... What I DO love is (you guessed it) the straightening and folding. Sure, I probably fold a hundred things a day, and sure, it'll probably get old aver a while, but for now, it my favorite part. More so than interacting with co-workers and customers. I love organizing. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to rework a table or a wall of clothing and make it nice again. Sigh. But inevitably, a customer will come right behind you and start shaking things out and rummaging through the neat stacks for their size... GAH! It's a neverending process, just like any chore at home, but it's calming. There's so much to retail that I didn't know happened or didn't know how complicated and long it was to do. Restocking shelves from the warehouse of boxes downstairs is a major job. I started "pulling" yesterday morning, but didn't finish. I hope to finish today, but there's no guarantee since were expecting a lot of customers. Thankfully, I didn't get reprimanded or anything, because my bosses know that those kinds of jobs can't be completed in a predictable amount of time. Another boss Lisa says that it might even be next week that I finish restocking those two tables, but not to worry.

And so I don't worry! That's what I love the most about this job: I am not entirely drained by the end of the day, mentally, emotionally or physically. Whoo hoo! Sure, my feet hurt, but I feel good inside and that makes a big difference.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support and encouragement! I love you!