Movement and Miracles

As the registers were ringing like crazy the other day, a customer came up to me and kind of knowingly said, "Moving merchandise, eh?" I tried to be equally knowing, and said, "Yup." But inwardly, I was, like, is that what I'm doing? I guess so! I guess the whole point of retail is to "move" things, into the store (or website warehouse) and then quickly out again into the customer's hands and home. There's a lot of "movement" before an item makes its way into an American store, and then eventually movement from the customer's home through some form of recycling or second use (ideally) then into a landfill. In the landfill, some materials will continue slow evolutionary movement, some will not. Too many will not.

I found myself thinking, "Where is the Love?" (Yes, I see there are several songs by that title, but it's Roberta Flack's voice I hear singing those four words.) In this whole process, where is the love? I know some people love to be in this business, and I'm grateful for that. Since it doesn't turn me on at all, all I can do is be myself at the "point of sale" -- just a tiny little ray of light when a harried customer hands the item over and I scan it and ring it up. I try to say something lighthearted, or funny, or to compliment their choice, or something. I try if possible to look them in the eye, although with all the little processes going on at once and the need for accuracy, that can be nearly impossible.

Yesterday was a day where I was at the receiving end of a few miracles, not the least of which was that a friend brought over dinner. After almost eight hours on my feet, I am genuinely not sure I could have stood up long enough to make something myself and it was one of the nicest things I could possibly have imagined. I saw the photograph of a beautiful baby who only exists because of a modern medical miracle. The local library found a book for me (interlibrary loan) from several states away. And I may have been able to help someone else's small miracle. So all in all, to answer the question, love is here. I must never forget that.