Day 59- Depot Family
The Home Depot was supposed to be my own silly little casting against type. After years of playing with silk and lace delicates, I thought it would be funny to throw on an apron (orange is sooo not my color) and sling some mulch and soil. Somewhere along the line, this part-time-paid-to-play-hobby-while-I-started-back-to-school turned into something more. I found a Missouri family.
A coworker at the Depot once confessed to me that he kept another job (even though it had worn out his body to the point of no return) so that he wouldn't have to tell people that he "just worked at Home Depot." I must confess that on more than one occasion at the beginning, I made sure to let others know that my job there was "only a little part time thing," and I was working on my Master's. What a foolish girl!
The thing is, I've come to realize what an honor it is to be counted among the group of people that work in good old store 3022. When a coworker couldn't afford to fly home to be with her ailing mother, the orange apron folks made it happen. When another was diagnosed with cancer, the store rallied, and many of her expenses were taken care of. When it came time to volunteer in the community, Team Depot had more members than I could count. Where there are tears, there are hugs and encouraging words. Where there is joy, there are fist pumps and shared smiles and whoops of laughter. Where there are football games, there are coworkers exchanging bets for pops and friendly insults.
We aren't measured by what we make or what we drive or what we can buy. In fact, the opposite is true. I believe that we are measured by what we put out into the world and what we give. Man, these people know how to give.
Today I was greeted by every single person I passed when I walked in the door at work. If you've ever been in a Home Depot, you know that this is a lot of people. I was handed a new custom made apron, made by one of my coworkers, that was glittery and flowery and pretty. I heard, "Hey, Stranger, nice to see you!" and "Yay, we work together todayyyyy." People asked about my student teaching and my husband and my life, and they genuinely listened when I answered. They shared stories about their kids and laughs about happenings around the store.
They accepted me into their family long ago, even before I realized I wanted to make them mine.
Thank you, Depot Family, you made my day.
A coworker at the Depot once confessed to me that he kept another job (even though it had worn out his body to the point of no return) so that he wouldn't have to tell people that he "just worked at Home Depot." I must confess that on more than one occasion at the beginning, I made sure to let others know that my job there was "only a little part time thing," and I was working on my Master's. What a foolish girl!
The thing is, I've come to realize what an honor it is to be counted among the group of people that work in good old store 3022. When a coworker couldn't afford to fly home to be with her ailing mother, the orange apron folks made it happen. When another was diagnosed with cancer, the store rallied, and many of her expenses were taken care of. When it came time to volunteer in the community, Team Depot had more members than I could count. Where there are tears, there are hugs and encouraging words. Where there is joy, there are fist pumps and shared smiles and whoops of laughter. Where there are football games, there are coworkers exchanging bets for pops and friendly insults.
We aren't measured by what we make or what we drive or what we can buy. In fact, the opposite is true. I believe that we are measured by what we put out into the world and what we give. Man, these people know how to give.
Today I was greeted by every single person I passed when I walked in the door at work. If you've ever been in a Home Depot, you know that this is a lot of people. I was handed a new custom made apron, made by one of my coworkers, that was glittery and flowery and pretty. I heard, "Hey, Stranger, nice to see you!" and "Yay, we work together todayyyyy." People asked about my student teaching and my husband and my life, and they genuinely listened when I answered. They shared stories about their kids and laughs about happenings around the store.
They accepted me into their family long ago, even before I realized I wanted to make them mine.
Thank you, Depot Family, you made my day.
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