Sunday, July 10, 2005

The rites of Bealls

For all you who may be wondering, work is going adequately. :-) It's not frightfully exciting, but I think it's character-building. I get to practice doing all things heartily, as for the Lord, not for men. I develop some sympathy for those who complain that they aren't properly appreciated (i.e. paid). I am learning to deal with all sorts of people. I have become convinced of my inadequacy in Spanish, Romanian, and Albanian, a fact I had suspected before. (It was rather cool. I tried out the one semi-appropriate Romanian greeting I could remember on a lady and promptly messed up the word order! Ah well, at least she knew what I was getting at!) I have plenty of time to analyze pop music: for those of you who dislike Christian rock, I should like to assure you, it has equal musical value and more sensible and edifying lyrics. I have time to contemplate blog entries which I forget before I get to a computer. I get to see pretty much all my acquaintances, including those I haven't run into for, oh, ten years or so. This is great if I happen to recognize them and good for practicing humility if I don't. :-)

Beall's is rather like a shrine, which every dweller in the town and surrounding villages and farms must visit sooner or later, and I am like a lowly priestess therein. The rites must be observed. There are the rites to welcome the day, rites to apply to the needs of pilgrims, rites at the setting of the sun, the rites for the closing of doors. There are rites for dealing with those in authority over our store, rites for one another, and rites for setting forth the items therein. There are rites for putting objects out for viewing and rites for restoring them to their places after pilgrims try them on. There are separate rites for receiving paper and metal, plastic, and checks. If one fails to properly observe a ritual, one more fully initated into the mysteries must come and purify one's mistakes.

The interesting thing is that while these rites must be scrupulously observed, for failure one faces no wrath greater than humans. At least, one isn't told so.

2 comments:

Lisa Adams said...

"I have time to contemplate blog entries which I forget before I get to a computer..."

I so totally know what you mean! That is my life :). That and meeting old acquaintances... I actually enjoy working sales. It is not intellectually stimulating but it is at least interactive.

Pinon Coffee said...

Thacia, you have a point. Hardly any people are boring. :-) And it is a good blessing to have time to think--or not think, as the case may be. :-)

Firinteinne, are you quite sure it's Chesterton who wants me to work up the shrine thing? ;-) As it happens, I have been reading him. I'm most of the way through The Flying Inn; it's not one of his best efforts. Mildly entertaining, but mostly just a defense of drink, particularly rum. Not that rum is an inherent evil, but I would prefer to see his talents more edifyingly employed. :-)