Dear Customers ...

Dear Customers

Hi. This is a letter to you, from your local supermarket check-out chick. First of all, I want to say thanks to some of you for smiling, complimenting me, and helping me pack bags. You make my days special.

Now.

To the rest of you. The ones who find it a little too difficult to lift the corners of their mouth. The ones who blame me for mistakes that I didn't make and can't fix.  Please think for a moment.

Maybe you had a bad day, and if that's the case, I'm sorry. I have bad days too. Days that make me want to strangle every person who walks through the check-out. And, despite popular opinion, young people can have just as bad days as older people. Not all of my emotions are empty - some have ground. Like yours. Because I am human. Like you.

Wow, we have something in common.

I try hard to smile at you and be polite because I figure that if I have ten seconds with each customer then I'm going to do all in my power to make them walk away feeling better than they came in.

You, however, make this difficult.

You, who don't smile, even when I do. You, who act bored when I try to ask you questions. You, who get frustrated at things which are company policy. (Btw's, I'm a checkout chick. I can't change them.)

You, who treat me like a teenage delinquent and the older women like saints. I am a nice person. I try hard to do my best. You could try, like, encouraging me.

So that, I don't know, I don't turn out to be like you.

Sorry, that was uncalled for. I just went down to your level. How immature and 'teenager' of me.

I want to make your day a little bit brighter, and I won't knock back a little sunshine from you either. A smile is all it takes. A sincere 'thank you'. An honest, 'You have a nice day.' I am a human, not a machine. Treat me like one, and maybe I'll glitch on you. Like, scan your beans twice or something.

Forgive me if I make mistakes; I'm still learning. Remember your first job? The really 'bottom of the rung' one? The one that was helping you to stand on your own two feet?

This is mine. And I'm trying.

So thanks to everyone who is kind. I'm not asking for special favours, just manners. You know, those things that you're always saying the younger generation 'doesn't have anymore.' With all due respect, would you like to borrow a mirror?

Regards,

Me. 

Stereotypes and all that fun stuff

Todays post is going to be about introverts. Which is ironic, seeing as I'm always complaining about how annoying it is that people put other people in boxes.

Let me give an example.

"Oh, so you're an introvert?"
"Um, I guess."
"So you prefer to be behind the scenes, right? Like, you would rather be the curtain puller than the performer. You just want to disappear into the wall."

Its like, are you even asking  me a question, or just making an assumption?
Just for the record, I am an introvert, through and through. But would I rather be the curtain puller? No. I'll take a standing ovation too, thank you very much.

Anyway, as much as I try to pretend it not true, there are certain characteristics of 'introverts' that come out in me, that need to stop. 

1. I cannot reward myself with chocolate every time I make a phone call and talk to a real, living, person.

My parents, bless them, have drilled into us kids that if you are asking someone something you call them. Texts are for running late messages and ... well, thats about it. Heres the problem: I would much rather just text someone,  than talk to them on the phone. Where they can actually hear my voice. Where I can hear rejection.
I need to stop rewarding myself when I do this simple life skill. I will get fat.

2. I need to speak to people. Yeah, thats it.

Instead of have a mini war in my head of 'Should I talk to them? Should I say hi? Do they want me to talk to them? They sat next to me but ... I'll wait. I'll say hi in a minute' I need to just say hello. Because guess what?

Tic. Tic. Tic.

IT NEVER ENDS UP HAPPENING.  And then I get strange looks. Which I completely understand. I would give me strange looks to if I sat next to me and got unintentionally snubbed.

3. I need to stop thinking about what they might think and just think what I think.

But hey, everyone deals with this right? A little thing called 'self-consciesness?' Lets be honest with ourselves - who cares if the guy that passes you in the corridor doesn't like your t-shirt? Who cares? Not the guy. And I shouldn't either.

So fellow introverts who I am not going to classify and box because that is annoying - keep being who your being. You are great. You are amazing.

You are not alone.

*sob, sob*

:D

Bye!

Excitable Things

Life is full of excitable things. (Yes, I'm quite aware that that is the wrong word to use in this context.)

For instance, chocolate on special for $2.50 a block. That is an excitable thing. Or Zarraffa's new Macadamia mochas with macadamia cream. That is also an excitable thing.

But, since I've been taking lots of study notes lately and am therefore temporarily addicted to dot point lists, I'm going to list some excitable things that are coming MY way these holidays.

Because thats right folks, I'm on holidays. Raise the roof.

• Sleep ins.
• No train travel. To be honest, I don't mind the actual train bit. I do mind the transfer from bus to train in the pouring rain with about 5 billion steps to climb.
• Wearing dorky fleece lined clothes and no make up because I don't actually have to leave my house.
• Time.
• Sydney trip!
• Music making and lots of writing ;)

There are lots of other excitable things I could list, but my holidays have started and I'm running late for my appointment to do nothing.

If you're on holidays, then enjoy them, and if you're not, you have my sympathy.

And I'm out!

Gracie