Photo by Noah Rosenfield on Unsplash
Wow! Times flies. Faster than we realize. And, especially when you are really busy. Sorry I haven’t written in quite a while. This will be changing soon.
Since last August, life for me has been busier than usual. My wife, my Service Dog Noah and I traveled quite a bit this past summer-fall season. We like to travel and since CMT might make travel impossible in the future, we are trying to get through our bucket list. However, it wasn’t until near the end of my travels that I got incredibly busy.
A new store near my house, “Wild Birds Unlimited,” opened in late August. Well, I couldn’t resist applying for a job and working there. I have used their products and absolutely love them! I was working to learn more about feeding birds, teach others about feeding birds, and for the employee discount.
Around 10 years ago, a Wild Birds Unlimited store opened near my old house. That was where I got hooked. My first really nice bird feeders, birdhouses, and birdseed, which did not go to waste, like some products, nor end up on the ground causing weeds to grow, came from Wild Birds Unlimited.
I got the job and was very excited, to say the least. Though I worked only 8-12 hours a week, it took quite a bit of time away from my writing and photography. Also, Noah was beginning to be unhappy with my time away from the house without him going with me. I could have taken him with me, and I found I should have, but I was trying to adjust to a new schedule and job first.
How does a man with CMT work in a retail store? I took the job because it would be healthy for me to get out and do something a few hours a week. And, because I have been feeling much better lately than I ever have. Also, I have been able to walk Noah for up to 3.5 miles with minimal pain. I was anticipating being able to sit down for a few minutes here and there when customers were not in the store.
What I did not anticipate was how much my feet hurt at the end of every single shift. I would come home, take my braces off, and try to get the soreness to stop before bedtime. However, it often kept me up late.
I tried to manage the pain by taking a regular dose of 2 pills of Ibuprofin in the morning followed by the same dose four hours later in the afternoon. It wasn’t enough to completely stop the pain, but it dulled it a bit. I upped the dose to the maximum allowed and it still wasn’t enough.
I decided to live with the pain and try to make adjustments at the store by sitting down for a few minutes once an hour. The store owner knew I have CMT when I was hired so he understood when I needed to sit down. I made sure he knew about my limitations so it could not come back to haunt me.
However, I wasn’t too surprised to learn that I do not like retail. I thought that because I LOVE the products, I would enjoy it. For me, nope! Though my boss said I did a good job of assisting customers with products. However, I got too nervous when customers came into the store. Also, too nervous checking the customer out at the cash register. It wasn’t a good fit so I quit.
I have been busy since November attempting to get caught up on stuff I got behind in as well as promoting my photography and writing business.
On my last day at the store, I learned that my church really needed my skills in writing, communication, and photography so it looks like I will not have much time to be bored!