Humility

What can I say? It's been a long, long time since I've donned a uniform and worn a name tag. But I'm doing that now. I went down the street to the local grocery store and I'm running a cash register, bagging groceries for my neighbors and even some of my colleagues from school. I sometimes find myself chasing shopping carts around the parking lot. In short, it's been an interesting experiment in humility.

And how should I describe it? I have noticed a big difference in my interactions with people as I take on the role of worker. I've become an hourly worker again. I'm not the boss. I wouldn't ever want to be the boss in this particular venue. There's a lot to keep track of and I just don't think it'd be much fun to manage all of it. Although managing my classroom is also complex and somewhat tricky, too. It's just different. I've just completed my 25th year of teaching and that's saying a lot. Managing a classroom is something with which I've become intimately familiar. This is something rather far from me.

It's been a long, LONG time since I've punched a clock, taken 15-minute breaks, worked at a frenetic pace to make customers happy and provided service with a smile while I say the same things over and over (and over!) again. "Hi! How are you today? How would you like your groceries packed? Paper or plastic?" And then the small talk about whatever...and then the finale: "Have a great evening, weekend...etc...." And I'm coming up on a month of this.

I expected that completing a school year while I relaunched being an hourly worker was going to leave me depleted and worn out. Quite the opposite seemed to happen, I'm happy to report. It has energized me somehow. But I will say that I tell many of my customers that I'm a full-time teacher, working the job because I had renovations done on my house and I've accrued some debt that I want to divest myself of sooner rather than later. And this is true. But I find myself looking for the stories in this situation. Why am I here? To whom should I be spreading hope? I am, after all, a hope coach!

Customers are looking for a friendly exchange at a cash register, that much is true. I've gotten many comments about how refreshing it is to interact with me and that makes me happy. I just think that people enjoy having a bright spot in their day and I know that I can be that. I find myself often saying, "I'm happy to help you." And that brings a surprised look to most people's faces. I feel that with the right disposition, I can move the world in a more positive direction. I feel that's why I'm here.

And so while it's been a real challenge to remember not to allow my pride to take over this circumstance I find myself in, and to not allow myself to feel shame over the humility of running a cash register, I'm looking for the joy in the situation. I try to compliment coworkers at this grocery store, letting them know that I see how hard they're working. Because I think that's important, too, to let them know that they are seen and appreciated. I don't know if it comes off as patronizing to them but I mean what I say. The work is hard, mostly thankless, and at the end of the day, someone needs to tell them that they are doing a great service to others. And that's not a small thing.

So this is how the summer has kicked off. A job, another perspective, and an opportunity to give a boost to the customers and the people with whom I'm sharing space with at the store. I'm happy to help. I'm happy to give hope.