Ouch, my aching ego!

How is it that Don and I both gave up careers for ministry and Don was able to pick up where his career left off while I'm schlepping fun-foam and wiggly eyes for a living? Why is it that his career wardrobe includes grown up clothes and a brief case while mine is accessorized by a blue smock and a feather-duster?

Don't get me wrong. Hobby Lobby is, bar none, one of my favorite stores. In fact, the girls and I will be trolling the aisles today for some great sales. For those of you who have never experienced a Hob-Lob, it's like the Mecca of the crafting community. I'm not sure how many square feet of retail space it fills, but it's some where between the size of a grocery store and a Home Depot. I know this because I have walked it from one end to the other many a nights frantically trying to find a home for an item that a customer had carelessly and randomly tossed aside because they changed their mind and were too darn lazy to put it back. No bitterness here! I was once that customer. After all, don't they pay "people" to put those things away? I am that person. I have now repented of my thoughtless retail ways. In fact, I've caught myself restocking (or "recovering" as we say in the retail biz) in stores that I don't even work in!

But I digress. Our store is loaded with crafting supplies, home accents, candles, sewing notions, florals, and all sorts of "must-haves" for crafters, home decorators, and...me. I don't actually mind the work or the people that I work with. It's just a bit humbling. Most of my "colleagues" and managers are much younger and more knowledgeable about store procedures than I am. I'll often find myself asking an associate the age of my sons what they would like me to do or how I should process a transaction. What a gal won't do to make her car payment.

And then there are the customers. Most of whom are very nice. After all, shopping at our store is for the most part fun and stress-free. Except for the vacant-eyed and weary parents who come into our store the day before a school project is due, paying out obscene amounts of money to make sure little Johnny or Susie get an "A" on the project that they waited until the last minute to start. In general, our customers are courteous and amicable. There's just that look that they give me. Or maybe it's the look that my ego perceives they are giving me. The look that says, perhaps you should have gone to college and gotten a real job for a woman your age.

If I had my way, my name tag would read:
"Welcome to Hobby Lobby. My name is Stacie. I have a college degree. I had a career. I've got skills. I have a portfolio filled with my graphic design pieces and letters of gratitude from employers and satisfied customers. I gladly gave it up for ministry and motherhood. I have no regrets. So quit looking at me like I'm a loser and swipe your credit card."

Simply stated: Thank you for shopping at Hobby Lobby and have a nice evening.