Carla Gypsygirl's Blurty

Panic! At the Department Store
I turned 25 last Sunday. For once, I wasn't excited about my birthday. There was something about being 25 that was giving me the heebie-jeebies. I don't think that I'm old; it's just that I thought I'd be in difference places, and doing different things, by the time I turned 25. So, when I rocked up to work on the morning of my birthday, the full force of my quarter-life crisis hit me in the face. I was really sad, and I started to freak out. As Charlotte from Sex and the City would say, "What the eff am I doing here?" I kept thinking, over and over again, "I'm 25, it's my birthday, I'm working at a department store, I have a degree...what the eff am I doing?!" I was also upset because no-one at work had wished me a happy birthday, which was quite hypocritical of me, because I didn't want to tell anyone it was my birthday in the first place.

But of course, the grass is always greener on the other side. I served this girl who would have been around my age. She chose a designer bag and bought it really quickly. She looked around my department and sighed. She said, "I used to work here, and I wish that I still did." I asked her what she did now, and she said that she was a graduate lawyer. She worked from 7am to 9pm most days, and she was going back to work after she finished buying her bag...on a Sunday! A lot of her life was similar to mine- she'd worked in a department store through uni, and she still lived with her parents. She then asked me, "What about you? Why haven't you left? You couldn't move on?" I decided to overlook this comment, because I felt sorry for her in her high-pressured life, where the only way she could blow off steam was by purchasing a designer bag for her gym clothes.

I calmed down by the end of the day, and I had dinner at home with my family. Geoff and his parents came over for birthday cake. Geoff and I have the same birthday- how weird is that? Although, I am 3 years older, in case you were wondering. We've celebrated 3 birthdays together so far, and it still feels strange singing "Happy Birthday" to someone while they are singing to you, too.

My mum gave me this owl-shaped tea cosy! It's name is Owlie! I adore it! The reason why I love it so much is because my grandma gave my mum a similar owl-shaped tea cosy. My mum's owl tea cosy has been around for longer than I've been alive. Hers is a yellow and brown colour, instead of aqua and white. I like how my mum gave me an owl tea cosy, all of my own. Maybe this means that I am ready to be a grown-up now.

Speaking of my grandma, she recently gave me some money to spend on a ticket to see Will Smith's new movie, The Pursuit of Happyness. My gran saw it on her birthday, and the film moved her so much that she gave money to all of us grandkids so that we'd go and see it. I'd seen the preview before, and even though the story looked good, I didn't want to go. The story looked so sad. It is about a single father, Chris Gardner (Will Smith), in 1980's San Francisco, who undertakes an unpaid stockbroker internship so that he can build a better life for himself and his son. During this time, Chris Gardner experiences extreme poverty and homelessness. However, he perseveres and works as hard as he can, and keeps a positive attitude. The Pursuit of Happyness is based on the true story of Chris Gardner, who went on to become a multi-millionaire and philanthropist. I finally saw the film yesterday with my mum. The film is really well made, and the story is compelling, and Will Smith is amazing. But to watch the film is an uncomfortable experience, because I think anyone who has been frustrated, poor and misunderstood will relate to the story. Even though I felt sad for the rest of the day, I am really grateful that my grandma sent me to see that film. I really was inspired to work as hard as I can in my own life, and not to give up on dreams. Chris Gardner's protective love for his son also made me want to spend more time with my family and friends. I also felt reaffirmed in many of my personal beliefs. I began to see that acting is such a fantastic form of communication...there are so many important and beautiful stories that are told through film and theatre. Also, I felt inspired to do more to help those who have less than I do. Sometimes, I get really irritated by the customers that I serve, and I feel a bit mean for it. But after seeing The Pursuit of Happyness, I realised that I was not insensitve. There really are so many people who have bigger problems than, say, having to choose between buying a Gucci bag or a Prada bag. Today, I served a lady who kept making pouty crying faces because the bag she wanted had a scratch on it, and it was the only one that we had left. Maybe I should have given her money to see The Pursuit of Happyness, too.

And, thankfully, now I know that there are worse things that can happen to you than turning 25. Now, I think that I am lucky to have lived to this age so far. For many, life is an unbearable struggle, with disease, abuse and war. I've kept that habit I developed on New Year's Eve of giving lunch to a homeless person every now and then. Who knows...one day when I give someone lunch, it might even be their birthday.