Sunday, March 17, 2024

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

Yesterday, I was assigned to the fancy dress area in the large department store where I work part-time. We stayed busy helping folks and checking out dressy items for those with big plans on this day. Typically, we in retail assist many who wait until the “last minute” before rushing out to find special-event clothing. Yesterday, many of our customers tried on lots of clothing. We were hurrying back and forth, doing lots of rehanging.

One customer surprised me by pointing to a dress and saying, “Isn’t that a snake print?” I turned and looked at the dress’s mottled pattern, which I liked but confused me. We moved closer and examined the fabric. She was correct, and the pattern was “snake.” The woman suddenly pointed to my blouse and said, “You’re wearing a snake pattern!” I looked down, shocked to see my blouse closely matching the snake dress.

This blouse! For a long time, I had wondered about its mottled pattern, which I liked and didn’t. As usual, I was reminded that discoveries mostly come from living and learning. Now understanding the fabric, I suddenly felt a genuine affection for my snake blouse and pride in wearing it. At that moment, too, my customer, loving that snake dress decided to take it home.

Later, while checking out another customer’s selections of very expensive clothing, I asked if she was preparing for an occasion. She said she’s soon going to Indonesia to attend a conference on wildlife biology; she is a career biologist and studies amphibians. I told her about seeing a partially albino Robin and wondering why it steadily followed a normal-colored and unusually fat Robin. My customer’s take made more sense than my assumption yesterday that the albino was a fledging.

She pointed out that, in fact, it’s now the spring mating season. Maybe that’s why the albino was following the bigger bird. It also suggests that the fat Robin was full of eggs.

Dear Friends: Mundane workdays may offer learning opportunities. Diana