Carla Gypsygirl's Blurty

Sunset, part 2: Leaving places

[You, too, can leap about like this in Katoomba when you don't have to work on the weekends!]

I wasn't going to keep writing about sunsets, because it makes me a little sad, but I really do want to show you guys how God has been working in my life lately. He is always looking out for me! I was reading Psalm 25 the other day, and in it, it says: "All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant." I know that everything that happens in my life, good or bad, displays God's love and faithfulness towards me.

Okay, so the second part of the sunset series is this: I finally quit my job at Myer. I know that that might not seem like a big deal- it's not like I'm Ginger Spice leaving the Spice Girls or anything. But it was a big deal to me. I'd been working at Myer in the book department for about four years- ever since the Sydney Olympics. In a lot of ways, I grew up there- I started when I was eighteen, and I changed a lot as a person. I had a lot of really great times there, chatting with friends, having crushes on boys there, helping customers and trying to read the books when no-one was looking. It was an interesting job. You get to know your co-workers there really, really well, because it gets so boring somedays that the only thing you can do is chat to one another. It was one of the best jobs that you can have while you are studying- it was better than Macca's (not that I've every worked under the golden arches myself), and they were usually pretty flexible when I had to take time off to do uni work. I felt like I was suspended in time there- it was a place where people were in the middle of nowhere, trapped somewhere after adolescence and being a grandparent. Everyone there seemed to be in between something- in between finishing a degree, in between finding a real job. I always felt that as soon as I left Myer, then I would have to grow up.

The reason I left, though, was because the management wouldn't let me take a Saturday off to see the opening of "Pinocchio" at the Marian St Theatre, which I had worked on as an illustrator. My manager had called me up and said that it was completely unreasonable for me to take the time off. He told me that if I didn't turn up to work, then there would be "consequences", these consequences being mostly that I would be fired. I started to cry, and said to him, "Doesn't it mean anything to you that I worked my butt off for you guys over Easter decorating those eggs for you? Doesn't it mean anything that I've worked for Myer for four years, and that I've always made an effort to be nice to the customers and to the staff?" And he said, "No, it doesn't mean anything, because we are in the business of making money here." So I said, "Well, that's stupid." The next day, I went in to Myer to hand in my resignation letter. I couldn't let them know that it was okay to threaten people, and that it was okay to push people around. And I'd had enough of the managers never saying "thank you", and calling me "Claire". It was pretty difficult and embarrassing to hand my letter in, though, because I kept seeing my friends who worked there, and they were asking if I was okay, and I kept crying. I composed myself when I went up to the Book Department to say goodbye, but then I started to cry all over again.

I know that people don't really see retail as being an important job. At times, I didn't. But while I was there, it was a humbling experience. I realised that, while many jobs may seem simple or boring, they still have a lot of meaning and importance if you remember that we are all working for God above all. We can all make a difference by being nice and caring, and by truly looking out for the concerns of others. This is what I wrote in my resignation letter: "I never intended to work for Myer for my entire life, but I did want to make a difference while I was there. I believe that I have treated both my customers and my colleagues with as much kindess, sincerity and respect as I possibly could. And, while I have made an effort to improve the company's economic wellbeing, the main reason that I behaved in this way was to make people happy by making them feel appreciated and cared for. ... I believe that nothing we do can be referred to as 'just a job'. We all have the ability to improve the lives of others and create positive change by doing simple things like smiling, caring and being understanding of others."

I also wrote a letter to my friends in the book department, to let them know where I had gone. People always seem to be disappearing at Myer, without saying goodbye. I wrote how much I loved them all, and how I would miss them. I reminded them to do the dusting, which was something I always seemed to be doing there. I also wrote this: "Please keep being wonderful, and keep making sure that everyone has as much fun as they can while they are at work. Even if that means wearing purple boots or face glitter. Make sure you keep smiling at the customers for me." I was cleaning out my wardrobe the other day, and I found all of my clothes that I wore at Myer- weird little corporate straight skirts and plain black slacks. Working at Myer really wasn't me, and I found it hard to fit into being all poshy and professional. I was myself there- I jumped around and made jokes- but the management didn't really like it. God has been so awesome and has totally provided me with more than I could imagine- teaching work for the winter school session of Illustration 1 and 2 at the uni I teach at, more childcare work and a whole lot of really great and interesting design work.

It has been so wonderful waking up and enjoying being free on the weekends. I also have the freedom to go away more than I usually do. But...it still is embarrassing buying my underwear from the store I used to work at. I still have to go all the way into the city. But I am so glad that I left Myer. At the same time, I am really grateful for all of the good times that I had there, and I will look back on the good times with fondness.

And never fear, readers: the summary of the season is coming up!

Spacegirl Carla x