I feel like I stepped into a time warp today. With my grandfather’s passing yesterday, I took the afternoon off from work and went up to my hometown to see what I could do to support the family. I figured they could use some help while services were planned, etc.
So I worked at the family store today.
It’s been 10 years or so since I last actively worked at the store. Items have been moved around a little bit. Some displays have been freshened up. But many of the same people come in, the procedures are the same and the schedule is the same. Earl has fantasies of me slinging lumber all over the lumber yard (he should have seen me when I was 17!), but I ended up working inside. (I’ll do some pushups tonight to make him happy).
Needless to say, I enjoyed working at the store very much.
I sometimes complain about life in Upstate N.Y., how I’d rather escape to somewhere else… Denver, Nogales, Ariz., Oklahoma City, Emmetsburg, Ia., it doesn’t matter as long as I’m away from here. It’s days like today that makes me realize that yes, I am crazy. It’s not so bad, in fact, it’s all good. Sure, there’s snow six months out of the year. The economy is in the crapper. People do stupid things.
But the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side. To paraphrase one of my favorite authors, the grass is always greener right here, over the septic tank.
