me and Wal-mart: MFEO

I went to undergrad at a really small college in the middle of the country. It was so rural, in fact, that we had to drive 45 minutes to “go to town.” We went weekly, storing up our shopping lists for toiletries or groceries or whatever, for the magical day when we’d hit the Wal-mart. And it’s been a healthy relationship ever since.

I love Wal-mart. It fills my prescriptions, develops my photos, keeps me stocked with shampoo and deodorant and body wash. Even though I now live in a thriving community of Meijers and Targets and super grocery stores, I still choose Wal-mart.

Today, I found yet another thing I love about this place. When my two-week disposable contacts ran out this morning (gotta’ love when the container has completely dried out, meaning the contact worth at least $10 is unusable), I panicked. I’ve been ordering from 1-800-CONTACTS for years, but they require at least 4 days to deliver. I needed contacts NOW. My last eye exam was in January, and the clinic’s prices are high. I called Wal-mart. They called my last eye doctor, transferred my RX and got me set for the next three months within a half hour. I don’t even remember what I’ve been paying for mail-order, but this three-month set cost $60, which was perfectly fine with me.

training for the 5K, beginning

My friend who runs marathons tells me that any able-bodied person can do it. If I can, you can, she says. I like her positivity, and I admire her discipline. In her photos, she’s muscled and vivacious, wearing a medal at this race or that. She goes running with a group twice a week and trains solo, too.

She recommended a book to me: The Nonrunner’s Marathon Trainer. Knowing my motivation was likely to wane in a few days, I went straight to the bookstore last Saturday and looked for a copy. I found something similar: The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women. It’s funny and encouraging, and it makes me feel like I really could run a marathon, if I pushed myself.

For now, I’ve decided to shoot for a 5K. In November. I’m training for a half-marathon, just for the sake of trying, but aiming for the shorter race. I’ve never done anything like this before; I hope I can stick with it!

So far, here’s the financial cost of this new hobby:

Book: $14.95 plus tax.
Miscellaneous Workout Gear (including spandex (ugh!) capris/shorts, nylon shirts, socks and a cheap watch): $66.

More to come, I’m sure. Nonetheless, I’m enjoying this so far (this whole one week of it). I look forward to working out and I am starting to feel more energy. It helps that my weeknights are so free and that I have access to a treadmill.

It’s not personal; it’s business.

I don’t have a mantra for my job, per se, but if I had been given one as a new hire, this would probably have been it: It’s not personal; it’s business. Remember that part in You’ve Got Mail where Meg Ryan chants it to herself over and over again? I believe she’s jumping and punching the air, too. The thing is: that was just a movie. And too, Meg herself admits (as Kathleen Kelly) that everything in life is personal. “All you’re really saying is that it’s not personal to you,” she says. “Well it was personal to me.”

Since starting my managerial role already-eight weeks ago (!) , I’ve learned a lot about the tough side of business. I’ve learned it the hard way, I’m afraid. I’ve learned it through trial and error and mistakes and bumps in the road. Each day, I get a little tougher, a little more calloused. Is it possible, I wondered yesterday, that this job is chipping away at my soul?

Example 1: My first crisis was a freelancer who wanted to push me around. I was new. I knew little about the company, my role, the style of writing. This freelancer (FF, let’s say) had been doing this type of writing for quite a while. This led to problems. FF was demanding, accusatory, suspicious and high-maintenance. She tried to go over my head when she didn’t like my decisions. She wanted special treatment, more money, more work. If she didn’t get what she wanted, I’d be e-mailed and called. My co-worker would be e-mailed and called. Other company employees would get involved. A lot of drama that I didn’t need= my asking Boss what I should do. His advice? cut her loose.

The only problem was that FF needed the income. She told me she needed the income. Repeatedly, she told me. I was hesitant because I did feel bad for her. But I genuinely couldn’t handle the stress, on top of everything else that comes with this job. So silently, passively, I decided not to use her again. More drama came. More letters, more calls. Yesterday, the (I hope) final hate mail came. She said I was unfair, a bad manager, a poor editor. She corrected my grammar (incorrectly, I have to add). She told me, in bold and italics, that she hoped this would wake me up to the error of my ways.  Closing with “God Bless You,” she ended the note.

I’ve been wondering why this bothers me so much. I don’t even know FF. She’s been a jerk to me from day one. Why do I care that she dislikes me? Why does it matter? This is business. It’s not personal.

But it is, though. When FF says her family needs the money and her son is sick and she depends on this work, it’s personal. When I’m called a bad manager, it’s personal. When my co-workers get involved and form opinions about me and my decisions, it’s personal.

My boss backs me up every step of the way. He is encouraging and helpful; he even goes to bat for me with situations like this. I like my job; I like what I do… but I wonder what the price is of my slow process to grow thick skin.

What happens to my heart?

free stuff

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever gotten for free? I’m curious.

This weekend, for me, it was a free movie pass. We went to see the Bourne Ultimatum (great, by the way!) at the Saturday matinée for $5.  The theater couldn’t get the movie to play, so they gave all of us a free voucher and directed us to another screen in the building. Saw BU for $5 and now have a ticket to see any movie, any time, for free.

Biblical finance 7: Money is not the end goal.

Proverbs 23:4 Do not toil to acquire wealth;
be discerning enough to desist.

I work to make money to save money to provide for the future, to give, to be responsible… yes. But I also work for other reasons: to be productive, to not be lazy, to use my degree, to sharpen my writing/editing skills, to learn, to grow, etc.

Money, as I have said here before, is not the end goal; it is the means to a bigger one(s).