time travel... or why I enjoy my temporary job

the counter Insert me behind the counter with one to four other women with 2 to 30 customers milling around in front of it... and, voila, you have a visual of my job. I'm a bean counter, or, I guess, technically a bean weigher. We sell beans in four ounce increments, the beans are in the bins in front of the counter. It'd be pretty easy to steal a few. The glass jars on the shelves house the seeds, which is sold mostly in quarter of an ounce increments.

the sidewalk Note the flowers. The flowers are priced differently than the vegetables with which I work. That can be a little annoying. Flowers cost more than vegetables. You can get three baby Silver Queen corn stalks for $1.29 and a gerbera daisy costs $4.99. That doesn't seem quite fair. Today I bought a Juliet tomato plant for 3.89-- it will produce 600-700 grape tomatoes this season. Seriously, what's the little daisy going to do-- sit there and wilt. The vegetable side is far cooler.

the alley This is the "getaway". If you've had one too many ornery customers in a row, this is where you go. It's a working break in the same vein as a working vacation. You can water the plants and organize and take a breather from annoying people. I have no scientific data to prove this statement, but I think there's something therapeutic in being surrounded by living organisms. I like working with plants. It's fun to watch a plant perk up after watering it. But, on the other side, it's frustrating to watch customers break the seedlings trying to get the plant they perceive is the best. This one culprit complained to me, "You have a lot of broken plants." I replied, "Well, it's because customers break them trying to get one in the back." She said no more.

Overall, I enjoy our customers. Farmers and gardeners are patient-- if not by nature than through experience. One regular customer told me that he only expends energy on things that produce good after I thanked him for waiting so patiently. He went on to talk about how little control he has and he chooses to exert his control in that manner. Needless to say, I like seeing him. Then, we have people who are beyond nit picky. I just leave them be with the tomatoes or bell peppers. This one guy wanted to argue with me that the golden bell peppers were more orange than they were yellow. Dude, seriously. I'm glad I wasn't watering plants because I'd have squirted him with the hose. Then one guy told me how terrible the sweet potatoes looked, and I told him that I wasn't going to hold a gun to his head and make him buy them.

But, I come home socialized and tired. I really, really, really enjoy the ladies with whom I work. They are fantastic; I have a lot to learn from them about attitude and diligence.