The place where I live...

Zen and the Art of Grocery Store Maintenance

I am really lucky in the fact that I love my job.  What I do isn't life-changing, or even significant, really.  It's just putting some products on a shelf, but I really get something out of it. 

I love the fact that I work alone.  My boss is 5 hours away, so unless he plans to come and see me, I only have email and phone contact with him.  I don't have any co-workers and I can set my own schedule, with a little structure.  I created a binder with each day of the week listed and what needs to be taken care of for each day.  I started a system of dating products to reduce the credits I write.  In the busy summer time I willingly come in for an extra hour some evenings to fill up the shelves.

I live the independence, I like the structure with flexibility, I like the satisfaction of doing my work well, without direct supervision.  I also really like the actual work.  I like walking the store, putting the product away.  Yeah, it sounds boring, but what it is for me is Zen.  I can get everything put away without a large degree of concentration.  My mind wanders and I have the time to plan my day, make goals, think about things I've seen and read, even just tune everything out and think of nothing.  It is the best benefit I'll never tell them about.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

My funny comment was wasted in a Pajiba thread

so I stole it back to post here.  It's recycling!

True Lent-flavored conversation*:
"I'm giving up coffee for Lent."
"You're not Catholic. You're not Episcopalian. You're an atheist. You don't believe in Lent."
"You don't understand Lent."
"Oh no you didn't!"
"Whaaaaat?"
"You know that's right!" **
*This may or may not be two conversations mixed-up.
**This may or may not be a conversation about Lent mixed up with my husband and I quoting Psych at each other.