Three Nice Things about Myself -- Day 5

My blogging buddy, Kwizgiver, wrote a post that really resonated with me. She detailed how self-care helped her helped her prevail during a (ridiculously) tough month. Her tips were very wise and so doable! So she has inspired me to take one and integrate it into my own life.

Since I can be a pretty harsh self-critic, this is the one I chose. I hope I can do this every day during March. By then it should be a habit, right?

Three nice things about myself -- March 5:

1) I haven't lost my shit ... yet. An inspector has decided that our building has structural issues that we must present a plan for correcting -- pronto. Right now, that's all I know. I have been running the numbers in my imagination, based on my assumptions, and think I will soon owe an additional $3,000 to $8,000. I am not happy about this. It's almost heartbreaking, because I have been working so hard to crawl out of debt. But here's the thing: I don't know what's going on and I won't for a while. I've made some contingency plans in my head to reassure myself that I'll be OK. But beyond that, there isn't anything else I can do. I have accepted that. No tears, minimal obsessing. Maybe all that therapy has been paying off!

2) I can do this job. Oh, the cash register is still often my nemesis and I take too long handling returns and exchanges. I know that, and I'm grateful customers are so patient with me. But here's the thing: I know the store better now and I have learned how to talk to shoppers. Today a woman was asking me specific questions about the different types of stationery in the back of the store and I answered her, but in talking to her I discerned that conventional stationery isn't what she needed at all. She wanted 2"x3.5" cards to create her own business card. As I steered her to a different part of the store and set her up with our collection of card stock in that size she could make a considered choice, I thought to myself, "Look at me! After three months, I know how to do this job with little help!"

3) I can be a comfort. Today my boss Jen (she of the green ribbon) told me that her 7-year-old daughter self harms. The girl picks at her fingertips until they bleed and bandages and antibiotic ointment are required. Her parents love her and are trying to help. Teachers are involved, a therapist is seen weekly. I was shocked not only by the situation but that Jen, a woman who seems so very in control and proud of it, was confiding all this in me. Especially because we've only known one another three months. I like that about myself: she sensed that I would have compassion for her little girl, and I do. I could tell she felt better after confiding in me. I like that about myself, too.