There's No Such Thing As The Perfect Job
I've just finished a delicious pot of tea while glancing through the window at the day slowing beginning to light up, and since everyone here is still asleep I have an unexpected window of time free to blog!
I am still looking of my 'forever job' but I am working - back in a bookshop and gearing up to do another Christmas in retail. I honestly thought the day I walked out of that shop with the semi-regular flooded carpet in the back room and the co-worker I dubbed 'The Human Snail' would be the last day I ever said "would you like a bag?" to a complete stranger. But no. Here I am again.
It's been a lesson in remembering what I love and hate about work. I sort of knew all of it already but it is now crystal clear. I don't like a job that's too easy and/or boring. I don't like inefficiencies that I am powerless to fix. I do like books. In fact, I fucking love them! And that is a summary in less than 100 words of my current working life.
I had a beautiful moment the other day which made up for a lot of petty irritations. Someone called the shop and asked after a certain book. I offered to keep one at the counter and he came in a few minutes later. He said he had heard the author on talkback radio and decided he had to go and read this guy's book. And then he told me that as a rule he doesn't generally read, has only read about two books ever, and that this one was definitely bigger than any book he had ever read. And he was SO. DAMN. DELIGHTED to have this book to take away and start reading. Oh, my heart! If something like that happened once a day I would probably ignore all the things I don't like about bookselling and do it forever.
I am still looking of my 'forever job' but I am working - back in a bookshop and gearing up to do another Christmas in retail. I honestly thought the day I walked out of that shop with the semi-regular flooded carpet in the back room and the co-worker I dubbed 'The Human Snail' would be the last day I ever said "would you like a bag?" to a complete stranger. But no. Here I am again.
It's been a lesson in remembering what I love and hate about work. I sort of knew all of it already but it is now crystal clear. I don't like a job that's too easy and/or boring. I don't like inefficiencies that I am powerless to fix. I do like books. In fact, I fucking love them! And that is a summary in less than 100 words of my current working life.
I had a beautiful moment the other day which made up for a lot of petty irritations. Someone called the shop and asked after a certain book. I offered to keep one at the counter and he came in a few minutes later. He said he had heard the author on talkback radio and decided he had to go and read this guy's book. And then he told me that as a rule he doesn't generally read, has only read about two books ever, and that this one was definitely bigger than any book he had ever read. And he was SO. DAMN. DELIGHTED to have this book to take away and start reading. Oh, my heart! If something like that happened once a day I would probably ignore all the things I don't like about bookselling and do it forever.
You'll be pleased to hear that despite this torrential rain, we've had no flood but the human snail (I'm still snorting tea out my nose thank you!) is even more snailish than ever! But now I want to poke the antennae to see if I can make him pull his head in 😂
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