Stories. We've all got 'em.

Upon learning that I would be returning to work the day after our flight back from Argentina, a fellow student on the trip made an observation that I have been reflecting on for the past few days: we never can fully know the stories of the everyday people with which we come into contact.

Who knows if the store clerk has just returned from a wonderful adventure? Who knows what is happening in the lives of the people we pass on the street?

Working behind a cash register gives me a chance to talk to some people that I would otherwise probably have never noticed. Just in the past few days, some amazing characters have come through my line.

One old man purchased a cart full of items and could remember the exact price of every item he placed on my counter. I wonder what his story is.

One woman was buying sunless tanner for her husband, who was preparing to embark on a trip to Pakistan with another man from their church. He was changing his entire appearance in order to blend into the culture. I wonder what their story is.

One man had an amputated arm. Another was missing multiple fingers. I wonder what their stories are.

Another lady bought five or six large bags of M&Ms, each a different kind. Upon further questioning, I found out that she was using them in a team building exercise, comparing different personality types to different kinds of M&Ms. What a neat story!

The stories are endless. Everybody has a story. I wish I could listen to them all.

Ten things I've learned over break (and other miscellaneous musings)

10. Flying is quite an adventure. The first week of break, I stepped foot on a plane for the first time ever with my friend Andrea, bound for Massachusetts (more on that later). I learned that vertigo is no fun, but when the song "Vertigo" starts playing while you're experiencing vertigo, the situation is quite humorous. My solution to flying: sleep it off. And the free in-flight ginger ale works wonders, too (thanks, Cameron).

9. Working retail on Christmas makes one feel dirty. Anyone who talked to me the week before and the day of Christmas knows that I took being away from my family for the sake of running a cash register. I was actually quite bitter about the whole situation (and cried multiple times about it). I've decided that I never want to work retail on Christmas again. No amount of money is worth it. And people need to be with their families anyways, not checking to see if our Christmas cards are on sale yet.

8. Snow has a tendency to perfect every occasion I love snow. It's a bit of a quandary for me, seeing as how I tend to have no ability to stay warm in cold situations, but I'm slowly learning to adapt and overcome that small problem. Snow is, quite literally, the icing on the cake for me. It's almost as if for a moment one can forget the dead and dying grass that lies below and just enjoy the pristine beauty that is encompassed in a snowy day.

7. New England looks just like the postcards. Speaking of snow, I thought those picturesque "picture prints by Currier and Ives" were really just part of the song, not real life! I saw 14 inches of snow on the ground, made a snowlady who was almost as tall as I am and even jumped into a snowbank! Visiting Massachusetts was a true learning experience, and it is something I will not forget for a very, very long time. Thanks, Andrea, for sharing your home!

6. Even if the movie isn't that impressive, the soundtrack could still be gold. This is the case with New Moon. I was actually fairly disappointed with the movie. (Made from my least favorite book in the Twilight series anyways, it really didn't stand a chance, I don't think.) I was actually very skeptical about the soundtrack, too, since Carter Burwell was no longer composing the score. I've actually found myself liking it more and more, though. Deathcab's "Meet Me on the Equinox" is swiftly becoming my favorite, while the driving piano in "New Moon (The Meadow)" had me quite aurally captivated when I first heard it. Even the remix of "I Belong to You" was to my musical liking. That just goes to show you: don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. And don't write off every aspect of a production; read the fine print, too.

5. The "real world" just isn't worth the paycheck they give you. For all the long hours, cardboard cuts, heavy lifting, difficult customers and, above all, time missed with loved ones on account of going to work, it's not worth the paycheck that comes in. Yes, I have to have money to live in this world. But money and I are no good for each other. We just don't like each other at all. So why should I do anything for it? Ah the cruelty of life in this world! This is why I'm going to school. If I have to work for a paycheck, I'm going to at least do something I love.

4. It's the small things in life that really matter. Yes, I hate my job. But I can't say it's given me nothing but grief. Walgreens has afforded me some great opportunities to truly help people. From translating for the Hispanic patrons who come through the doors to helping customers find what they're looking for, it's nice to know you made a difference in someone's life. And one meets some of the strangest people. For example, on Christmas Day, a lady came through my line who had been alone all day because her mother was in the nursing home and her boyfriend was...well, he was with his wife. The lady just looked at me calmly and said, "I know, I'm horrible." Strange, indeed.

3. Sometimes you really just have to let go. It's amazing how simple this idea is, yet how reticent I am to enacting it in my own life. It's something I'm working on. When God tells me it's time to let go, I need to trust that if whatever it is is really supposed to be in my life, I don't have to hold onto it to keep it there. And some things are just better left on the highway in the rearview mirror. It's painful; sometimes you don't feel like there's any resolution. But sometimes that's just how it has to be.

2. I get by with a little help from my friends. Simply put, without mis amigos, I would drive myself crazy. I am very thankful that God has allowed my path to cross the paths of so many wonderful people and that He has seen fit that they would be with me through thick and thin. It's been an amazing journey, and I couldn't imagine it without my friends.

1. Nothing takes God by surprise. This is a lesson that wasn't learned over break; it was just proven to me time and again as it always is and always will be. Through the good and the bad, the easy and the hard, the understandable and the incomprehensible, one thing remains constant: God knows what we're going through, and He will never leave us nor forsake us. His infathomable love washes over even the greatest of disappointments and His intoxicating joy moves in our lives as the basis of every surge of felicitation. He is the everlasting King, and He guides each of our lives. We are where we are because He has a plan. We may not see the big picture, but we must learn to unconditionally trust the Creator of this magnificent work of art.

And finally, something that I keep going back to: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy." Proverbs 13:12.

May all your lives be filled with life and joy as your dreams come true in 2010 and in the years to come.

Good gracious! Where has time gone?

I noticed that I haven't written in a while, so before I embark on the telling of all of my Christmas break adventures, I'd like to take a moment to recap everything that has happened since the fortuitous day I received my first car (and no, I have not wrecked it. Mercy is just peachy, thanks!)

The end of the semester is finally here, and I survived yet another semester of writing papers, doing service hours, taking tests and of course making loads of memories with my friends. I competed in my first taekwondo tournament (3rd place-forms, 1st place-sparring), tested for my blue belt and continued working at the Walgreens back home in FC.

And it was at Walgreens that I had one of the most profound experiences of the year. So allow me to use the rest of this post to share my story.

It all started when I got my work schedule for Thanksgiving break. The only shift they could offer me over the whole five days I was going to be home was Black Friday. Knowing that I needed the hours, I could do nothing but accept the shift and prepare myself to be at Walgreens when the doors opened at 7 a.m. My thoughts: "Oh snap."

For anyone who doesn't know, I am basically nocturnal, so waking up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready for work is a big deal! Amazingly enough, I made it to work on time, in spite of almost forgetting to pack my lunch and discovering an unexpected layer of frost on my windshield.

When I pulled into the parking lot, there were already people lined up outside the door waiting to get in. I knocked on the door, gained entrance, said hello to the store manager, clocked in and braced myself as I walked to the doors to admit the bargain-thirsty shoppers. My thoughts: "Please don't let them kill me!"

My day can be divided into two distinct parts and each of them, thank God, were completely different.

First, the sale. Top sellers included these large decorator candles on sale three for $9.99 and these little artificial potted pre-lit four-foot Christmas trees buy one, get one free. It was completely crazy. My thoughts: "Baby step to eleven o'clock, baby step to eleven o'clock."

My fifteen minute break never felt so good. Soon, though, I was back out at the cash register and ready for Round 2: the Santa. That's right, Walgreens invited a Santa to come in and take photos with the children for a couple of hours. This actually turned out to be a good thing, since for those two hours, every child in the store was on his or her best behavior. It was actually amazing. Never in my life have I been so thankful for a Santa Claus.

After Santa left, things calmed down and the melancholy that is a small-town Walgreens returned. I made my escape at 3:30 p.m., sore-footed and drained of all energy, but happy that I was a survivor.

The rest of the semester has been pretty tame compared to that one Friday, but I'm glad to have the experience! Glad it's over, though!

You know you're a Walgreens employee if...

I know that I have worked a lot of hours when my cheerful greeting to customers is reciprocated by some variation of "Oh hey, it's you again!"

Tonight I worked the closing shift at Walgreens for the eight, yes eighth, night in a row. I've spent a lot of time there in the past week!

This impressive streak of hours has afforded me the title of official Walgreens connoisseur: I know about sales (past, present and some future!), have organized the merchandise (especially the back-to-school section), and have answered the Walgreens phone probably more times than my own home phone.

But one thing I feel that I have become a complete specialist in is the Walgreens radio station. Let's face it, I've listened to it more than some people have listened to their own mothers (sad as that is).

And I can tell you, they play all the good music during the day. Songs like "City of Blinding Lights" by U2, MercyMe's "So Long Self," even "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown.

Around 4:00 p.m., there's a complete shift in music: it's like a blast from the past. Normally, I like oldies (or am at least tolerant of them), but after hearing some of them for eight days in a row, I never want to hear them again.

So here it is: the top ten songs I would rather never hear again.


10. "What a Wonderful World" - The Ramones
Not that I mind remakes: Muse covered "Feeling Good," Louis Armstrong remade "La Vie en Rose," and I loved them. They took classics and made them even classier. This just doesn't do it for me.

9. "Can't Get It Out of My Head" - Electric Light Orchestra
The title and my reason for not wanting to hear it are one and the same.

8. "My Sharona" - The Knack
I actually used to like this song. But too much of a good thing is bad, very bad.

7. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" - The Animals
I really don't have a clear reason for my disdain. This song and I just don't get along. I think it's the vocals, but I can't say for sure.

6. "A Horse With No Name" - America
I know the lyrics have potential to have awesome meaning, but I can't get past the annoying tune to dig that deeply.

5. "The Break-up Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" - The Greg Kihn Band
Is this really necessary? I mean really. To mutate the song to my liking, "Nuh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh." Translation: Big no.

4. "Born in the USA" - Bruce Springsteen
At the risk of being sacrilegious, this one made the list. I'm just so tired of it!

3. "Tall Cool One" - Robert Plant
This song basically repeats, "Lighten up, baby, I'm in love with you!" over and over again. Well-written love songs with a good beat or rhythm, I love. This one should be banned from airwaves just for the sheer redundancy.

2. "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)" - Squeeze
Did this topic really deserve a song?

1. "Cat in the Cradle" - Harry Chapin
Maybe it's the vocal twang, maybe it's the lyrics. But I just really have a loathing for this song now.

I may not achieve my goal of never hearing these songs again, but I know one thing for sure: I won't be hearing them for at least the next three days! Oh, sweet freedom!

Thank you for shopping at Walgreens! Buh-bye, buh-bye now!

Happy Independence Day!

I celebrated July 4th by hanging around the house all day then spent a thrilling night at a fairly customer-forsaken Walgreens. We were bored out of our minds. Never have I wished the clock to move faster.

While I was standing there passing the time, I came up with nothing profound (I bet you thought I was going to awe you with some amazing thought, but no...Walgreens just doesn't inspire me). The only think I could think was how tired I was of working weekends. Every. Single. Weekend.

That thought was still in my mind when I got home, so I decided to see what I could learn from it. (I'm a psych major, after all!) The train of thought went something like this: "I hate working weekends. But that's what this job is: nights, weekends and holidays. So this job really stinks. So I need to get a better job. Which means I need to stay in school."

So that's it: I'm staying in school so that I can get a job that I actually like having and don't regret taking.

Then I started thinking, "Why do I hate working weekends so much?"

Simple answer: Because my work schedule is keeping me away from those I love and miss.

As stated earlier, I work nights, weekends and holidays. When I work multiple days in a row, sometimes I can go two to three days without seeing my parents. And I've been keeping up with my sister more via Twitter than by actual conversation.

This schedule has also hindered my getting to hang out with friends, especially those who live any distance away. Some of them I'll see when I go back to school in a month. Others, I'll have to be content with phone calls and instant messaging for long periods of time because school will replace work (and I might continue to work during the school year), and I'll still be in the same predicament. And that's enough to make me want to cry.

So, in light of all this, I now have three, firmly established life goals: to bless God in all that I say and do, to do what I love and love what I do, and to keep those I love close to me (emotionally and spiritually if physically isn't an option) because the pain of separation has created such a hole.

Since the first one prohibits my complaining about the latter two, I will end this little note by being "joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Rom. 12:12). I thank God that I have a job, I rejoice in the coming relief (school), I ask God to keep my loved ones safely in His arms until I can see them again, and I pray for the endurance to attain my goals.

But, as Miley Cyrus says, "It ain't about how fast I get there. Ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb."

May God bless each of you in your individual climbs.

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go...

Last summer, I did something awesome: volunteered at a local dinner theater with a bunch of my friends. I was in two shows, worked tech for one show, waited tables for tips and had an awesome time. I also was flat broke by the end of the summer.

So, this summer I decided to try something different, something completely new for me! I got a "real job." On June 12, I officially became a Walgreens service clerk. I have learned a lot in the past three weeks, and I would like to share a few little nuggets of this wisdom.

1. Every day has the potential to be "one of those days."
I never really understood what "one of those days" meant until I started working. Then I realized that EVERY DAY is just "one of those days." It's that phrase you say when you really don't want to talk about it, not necessarily because the day was bad, but because either too much or too little happened to really be worth the effort of telling someone. In my case, it's normally too little.

2. Creativity is a must.
When it's 8:30 and the store is completely empty, you've refolded every t-shirt in sight and your OCD tendencies are completely satisfied, it's an awesome feeling. Until you realize that you're stuck there until 10 anyways. This requires some creativity because if you don't find something to do, you will go crazy. I personally like straightening the Hallmark aisle; I get so many good ideas in that aisle. I also convert the time remaining in my shift to seconds (it takes longer because I do it in my head). If you have any other suggestions, I'm always looking for new ones!

3. Get used to being asked how old you are.
I've been asked twice. Once because the lady wanted to set me up with a guy she knew (he was 17; it would have never worked). Once because someone couldn't believe that I actually knew who Farrah Fawcett was. I'm sure it will happen plenty more.

4. One never really gets used to selling tobacco.
This is probably the worst part of my job. I hate tobacco. I can't even really stand the smell of it, which is bad since my register is right in front of the cigarette display (I chew Orbit Crystal Mint gum. The mint flavor is so strong, it dulls my sense of smell and helps me better tolerate it). And furthermore, I know nothing about cigarettes, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, or any of the accompanying paraphernelia. It's almost like a game trying to find the certain brand of cigarette that the customer wants.
But it's really sad, too. One lady came in today and bought cough drops with her soft pack. When I have asked customers to help me find a product because I don't know what it looks like or where it is, many tell me how good it is that I'm not a smoker. Some even sound regretful that they use tobacco. I told my mother about the first time I sold a pack of cigarettes, and she gave me some wise advice: pray for them. So now, I pray over those cigarettes sitting behind me. I feel like maybe I've sold less since starting that tradition.

5. Optimism is a wonderful gift.
I don't think I could work at this job if I were a pessimist. I make too many mistakes and see too many hurting people (it is a pharmacy, after all). I've had quite a few people come through my line who came by on the way home from the emergency room or hospital. I've heard some sad stories, just in the past few weeks. But the only thing I can do is smile and encourage them that things will get better. Sometimes I feel like just listening to them helps. So I'll keep on smiling and telling people to "have a good evening!" as they walk out the door. I may never know it, but I pray that simple act of kindness helps someone somehow.

I've learned a lot from having a real job. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's quite serious. And though I hope that running a cash register is not my future career, I know that I'll carry these lessons throughout my life.

And, yeah, having a job has greatly put a dent in my "summer fun" from time to time, but I don't really regret my decision. But, I'd better stop writing now and get some sleep; gotta go to work in the morning!