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We will not always get along with everyone we meet. Occasionally, a former antagonist will show up in my line for checkout. The moment they notice me is often revealing. Their response to my “How are you doing?” question bridges the gap of time and energy. I try not to hold grudges. I work on my life in a way that I release the people who’ve wronged me. The manager that fired me because he wanted to use my salary to hire two young women contractors. The manager who filled a PIP on me then wound up apologizing. The Porsche guy and his son. Only one of these thorns has graced my checkout life so far. The other two don’t live in Texas.
It must be jarring for them. Knowing me from my corporate gig, then running into me as a cashier at an organic grocery store. Perhaps some of them get satisfaction that I’ve fallen so low. They don’t have attention for my moment, for this awakening. They only see the failure. The same failure I was wallowing in my first week as a cashier.
I greet them with joy and pause. No need to go after the “ah ha” moment. “Hello Ryan, did you find everything you were looking for?”
Some days on the line I feel like I’m hiding out. I don’t want to be seen. Other days, today, I am fully empowered and at peace with this moment in time. A lot is going wrong with the world, including having a job, good healthcare benefits, and access to healthy food and fluids. I’m in the perfect place.
I have forgiven myself for the lapse in my career. I have embraced the idea of working deep into my sixties. Heck, I love what I do. And for now, just for today, I’m going to be the best cashier on the planet.
Can one person affect an entire grocery store that employs 200 people? Can that same person push their influence upstream and affect the larger company at a corporate level? I believe the answer is a resounding yes. I am patient. I received Employee of the Week last week. My second week. That’s all the encouragement I needed.
“Hello, how are you today?”
The hope I see in others,
becomes the hope I have for myself,
my life and my own journey.
– The Happy Cashier
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ALT: Botisatva’s Bookshelf | The Happy Cashier Podcast
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ai prompt: A sumi brush image of a happy cashier at a fancy grocery store, he has spikey gray hair, a beatific smile, and a black apron and purple shirt. He is smiling at you. Offering his attention. Seeking enlightenment in the moment with you.
