Yesterday began with my brilliant idea to teach my husband to brew coffee. I suggested it would be nice if he occasionally had coffee ready when I came downstairs in the morning instead of waiting for me to make it. I’m pretty sure this somehow caused a tear in the fabric of the universe because the rest of the day threw me curve balls.
A friend I haven’t heard from in months called to thank me for her birthday card. I’d begun to wonder if our 25-year friendship had somehow dissolved, but I guess it was simply on hiatus.
After I looked at the calendar to see when I might get together with her, I realized I have another dear friend whose birthday is in a few days and I had to get a card in the mail.
I discovered my daughter’s wedding gift registry online. She’s chosen the most gorgeous, elegant Kate Spade dinnerware.
As the morning progressed I began to wonder if a migraine was headed my way so I took a chunk of migraine medication and off to work I went.
Shortly after I arrive I discover my credit card payment is still in my purse. It was due yesterday. Luckily a coworker is headed in the direction of the bank and offers to drop it off for me. I have the best friends, don’t I?
More fun time ensues when staff is confused about a special offer on retail merchandise. A phone call and some new signage is required.
A text from my daughter. Her fiancé landed his dream job. Yay!
A coworker fresh out of college stops in to say his job hunt has taken an upturn. Fingers crossed for him that a position he’s just applied for will parlay into an interview and work in his field of interest. I feel good about this since someone I know just landed a dream job.
In walks the Ecosure inspector and the real fun begins. This is not something we take lightly. The annual Ecosure inspection is beyond any inspection the health department does. The score affects the store manager in ways I don’t like to contemplate. We will hear about a bad score for months. Panic sets in because I’ve not once, in eight years, been at the store during an inspection, and so I’ve never been the shift supervisor on duty when they arrive. I call my manager when I can’t find the paperwork I’m required to have. Meanwhile the inspector is poking and prodding and shining her little flashlight into every nook and cranny and making notes on her Palm Pilot-like device. What is she writing down? How bad can it be? My manager arrives but the churning in my stomach doesn’t stop. Everything is out of my control at this point anyway. My fellow partner and I eye each other worriedly, but there is nothing more we can do. When I hear my manager’s unprecedented, “I love you!” from the back room, I have a feeling it’s going to be okay. We got a 94. Whew!
The work day continues fairly normally until I go outside to sweep. There is a bird fight happening on the plaza sidewalk. Birds squawking and flapping about. It takes me a while to figure out what’s going on. Apparently they are attacking one of their own, weaker members. He escapes and takes cover on the outdoor patio. I see him in a corner first and later he hops behind the garbage can near the door. But when I go over there with my broom I can’t find him. I soon discover why. He’s inside the store.
Great. How am I supposed to capture a bird inside the store? I should be happy he’s not flying. I can’t figure out what’s wrong with him from the few glimpses I’ve gotten. He looks a bit gimpy. Maybe he’s a baby who can’t fly. His feathers don’t look quite right. He hops around. I can’t worry about this now. Too many customers and too much closing work to do.
The evening progresses. At 8:15 the bird makes another appearance. A regular customer comes in while I’m trying to figure out how to capture the bird. For some reason the customer jokingly asks if he can help me. He’s not aware there’s a bird in the store, but I say yes, you can help me catch this bird. He takes off for the restroom. (The customer, not the bird.) When he comes out, he realizes I was serious, and even though he mutters something about not wanting to catch the flu (bird flu, I presume) he picks up a napkin and goes after the bird. (Meanwhile, my helpful fellow partner is suggesting a call to Animal Control or 911.) This gimpy little bird leads the customer on a merry chase around the store, but somehow, he gets hold of the bird which squawks like nobody’s business, gets the bird out the door and tosses him into the bushes out front. Hip, hip hooray! We can now let nature take its course. Not only do I work with the best people, have the best friends, but also the best customers! I reward him with free coffee for a week. (The customer, not the bird.)
Was there anything else out of the ordinary that happened yesterday? Probably not, but I’m not teaching my husband any new tricks any time soon, either.
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