I’ve had retail jobs pretty much my entire life. I’ve quit them for different reasons. Sometimes I was moving out of the area. Others I was needed at home, raising our kids.

This time is different. I’m quitting because I found something better.

I had a shift this morning, will have three more before I clock out for the last time. I can’t necessarily say I’ve got short timer’s where I simply don’t want to be there and do any work. Will I work as hard? Possibly not. Tomorrow, I’m on a register for 4 1/2 hours. There’s a good chance I’ll be kind to my hands (and feet and back) and not move as fast as I normally do.

Thursday, I’m in the fitting room. Again, will I bust my butt the whole shift? Probably not.

I’m moving on with life. This new job isn’t just about making more money. It’s being in a position where, if I needed to, I could take care of myself and my family. Where I can plan for retirement, manage medical/dental/vision insurance, and take steps that I choose to ensure the second half of my life isn’t going to be as tenuous as my late teens/early 20’s were.

It’s a place where I’ll have my own space at work. I don’t know yet if it’ll be a cubicle or an actual office with a door. I don’t know yet if there’s going to be company policy about decorating the area, etc. But I’ll be able to have a coaster and a mug I like. Maybe a small piece of artwork my son gave me or a printed & framed photo I took in Scotland on the wall.

The dragon incense burner I used as the header isn’t coming into work with me. LOL. He’s just beautiful to look at, and the smoke falling down the stairs is both mesmerizing and calming.

Change is a strange thing. Sometimes it comes in like a hurricane, disrupting our lives and uprooting the very foundations we cling to. Other times, it’s a small wave lapping the sand on an isolated beach, inching its way inland.

Either way, it happens. Because change isn’t always about what we want. But it’s always about what we need.

BB/Chan Eil Eagal Orm