My Feet Don't Hurt As Much

This post is all about my new job. Mostly because that is the most interesting part of my life these days.

I've been working 3 or 4 days a week for 6 to 8 hours a day. And each day my feet hurt a little less. I am making progress. My retail establishment is a chain bookstore. Working there makes sense, I love to read.

While the job is physically draining, it is not mentally challenging. It's not that it is boring, it isn't, but my pre-retirement job was much more challenging. Because this job is so different, for a week or so I wasn't sure I would want to continue to work after the holiday season was over. It felt like settling to go from a job that was mosly mental to a job in the service industry. But I've decided I like the differences. I enjoy interacting with the public. I like seeing the little kids in line, I like seeing teens buy books they plan on reading, I like talking with the old folks, I like it if I can make some one's day a little brighter-if I can help improve their mood.

I find I get drawn into their lives just a bit. I'm interested (and want to ask why but don't) when a woman in hers 60's buys a copy of the Kama Sutra, when a woman in her 30's buys several motorcycle magazines and I feel a little sad when a woman in her late 20's returns all three books she bought 3 weeks ago on pregnancy. I find the range of books and peoples interests fascinating and enlightening.

Today was the first time I found someones choice both sad and offensive. A man walked up to my cash register mumbling--well not really mumbling-I could understand the individual words, but the things he was saying didn't fit into any context that made sense. He shoved a paper on the table in front of me. He had paid for and ordered a book that is not carried in the store. He had it sent to the store instead of his house probably because customers have to pay for shipping unless they spend at least $25. The title of the book was blatantly offensive. Instead of just making sure he had received the book he had ordered and it was in good condition, he had also made a big deal of showing me the book, asking if I had read it and telling me I should read it.

It was a good reminder for me. After all I am an ardent liberal, I believe in freedom of speech and the freedom to read or write what you want. But it was also a good reminder that free speech often has a cost to people who see things differently.