never let the odds keep you from doing
what you know in your heart you were meant to do
- Babysitter - I baby-sat three little girls ALL DAY, five days a week, one entire summer when I was 13 or 14. One baby, one toddler, and one little girl. OH, how different the times were in the early '70's.
- May's Department Store - the domestics department. I folded towels. MANY towels. It was one of the most fun places to work in the late '70's. If the walls could talk we would all be in so much trouble.
- Thom McCann Shoe Store - I lasted one week. I was never a shoe girl.
- Import Alley - I swear I didn't realize it was a head shop until at least a week after I started working there. One of the managers looked so much like Kenny Rogers it was uncanny. One of the owners was a full blown coke addict. He flitted around the store like a pinball in a machine. It was where I was working when we found out John Lennon had been killed. I quit when I couldn't leave early for Christmas Eve - we were the only store that was going to stay open until 9pm in the whole mall.
- Foodtown - truly one of my favorite jobs, even when I was transferred from Massapequa to New Hyde Park. Funny people work in grocery stores.
- Verizon - the twenty year stint that I got laid off from and then went back to work as a contractor for. There were so many good things about working there. Some of the most amazing people I know are a result of Verizon.
- Hen Hud Food Services - I adore, seriously adore Clare, who runs our food services program. I loathed cleaning 80 billion dishes. I lasted two weeks, which was nine days more than Clare thought I would.
- Rivertowns Chiropractic - my first foray into the medical field. I loved the patients. I learned to fight with insurance companies and Worker's Comp. The doctor is quite a character and everyone who came in loved him. It was a great place to work.
- It's SWAK - oh, how I loved working there! I loved everything about it, but most especially the women who own it. Rosie was who let me spread my wings in the world of social media by giving me artistic control of the FB page for a long time. What? You haven't been there yet? GET OVER THERE!
- JENeration Fit & Adrenalin Gym - two separate businesses that go hand in hand. The land of estrogen on one hand and the land of large vats of testosterone on the other. A most excellent partnership. You know all about them from my posts about them. My hand is still a little involved there and I couldn't be happier about that.
- Tupperware - yep, I sold it, years ago. I still have most of it.
- Christmas Around the World - a bit on the schlocky side of stuff and far too much "stuff" to cart around.
- Park Lane Jewelry - I know, you wouldn't think this would be something I sold, which is perhaps why I didn't last long.
- Stampin' Up! - a love story. Literally. From the beginning to the end. It is totally ALL about the relationships; stamps, ink and paper are secondary.
- Uppercase Living - vinyl lettering for your every mood. The NYer in me couldn't deal with the slow turn around time, but I love the product.
- Tastefully Simple - who doesn't love food? Really?! But you can eventually have too much and also, it was a lot of stuff to bring.
If you asked me when I was a teenager what I was going to do when I got older, I doubt any of these jobs would be on the list. I didn't have the direction my kids have.
I was utterly and completely in love with my boyfriend and KNEW we would be together, forever. I would get married and have kids. If you recall from other posts, you know I was in love with love. I was in love with the idea of "the wedding." Everything that came after the party wasn't something I thought about. It was all rather hazy. The delusion/hope (?) of youth.
Life had other plans for me. Relationships change. Jobs change. I changed.
And then, this year, that wide-eyed, hopeful girl of my youth reemerged. I like her. She's a little sassy. She likes to dance. She really loves to write. She uses Pinterest and this blog as her journal from days gone by. She LOVES music (you didn't know that though, did you?).
My hope as a mom is to keep my kids energized with WHO they are, because they are awesome and amazing and fantabulous teens. They have big dreams and goals. I look upon them with amazement at how focused they are. I was NEVER that focused. They have an astounding father who keeps up with them and is that focused. He has learned to back-off a little and wait and watch. It is good for all of them.
The Glass House Retreat is a result of all of my life experiences. It is the culmination of my many interests and many loves. It is a work of grace. It is my soul. I have been blessed to be loved by many people in my life and I have all of them in my heart, which transfers to how I created this place, with the love of many guiding me along.
I expect to have my mother's side of the family genes and live until my really late '90's. I have a lot of living left to do. I have a lot of loving left to do. Thanks for taking the journey with me. xo
As always, if you are so inclined, feel free to share this, like this, and comment and add YOUR experiences.
Music today: I couldn't decide so you get two.
Suggestions always appreciated.
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