Food is the staff of life they say

When it came gushing into my thoughts last summer, that what I was so good at and continually doing in my life could be part of a grocery store environment, I got very excited.  It was an idea from some divine place or so I thought.  The idea of being part of a store's bright, shiny presentation each day was thrilling to me and I had missed it completely.  I had been sitting-literally, in a cubicle for almost 12 years analyzing data and arguing values with people as my job slowly deteriorated to an automaton with a computer mouse.  The joke at home was that trained monkeys would and could be doing my job.  Maybe not this fiscal year but its coming.

And so I began to apply as the Queen Mary was set to sail in Coddingtown.  It was thrilling to look at the photos of the construction progress at the other "Original Santa Rosa" store three blocks from my house.  I would view the pictures and the photo of the project manager and dream a dream of being part of a team of workers who cared about people, products and had such bright attitudes.  That was 78 applications ago.  78.  Not a word.  Nothing.  Just a resume and application questions flying to that parking lot that I spoke of before.  Swirling garbage in an abandoned lot.

For me, now, I still carry the dream and it has been tainted by a lack of response to my enthusiasm by every store in this county.  How is it that a bright, work history success story with excitement, genuine concern for others and a current volunteer gig working as a grocery/produce stocker human cannot get a job in a local grocery store?  How is that?

Today I am off to the Food Bank to work in their office or the Food Bank itself.  I love going there and it is a welcoming, energetic and purposeful place on earth.  We are a grocery store and we give it all away to clients.  We organize the deliveries, fill orders for clients, breakdown stock for distribution, fill the produce case, front the stock on the shelves, clean, clear out cardboard, shuffle frozen deliveries in the walk-in and joke with one another while we are doing it all.  We are a team and it is not just a faux title.  Real people doing real work.  It is not a slogan that means just try to get a job here.  I am valued, like many other volunteers there, for the time, energy and love of humans that we share.  It feels wonderful.  .

And so, WF will continue to turn down my 79th application and on or not-they seldom tell me via those email boilerplate rejections that I am not pretty or something enough-and I will walk forward with my dream intact.  My hope is that "Peter" is out there in some store being promoted to Team Leader and he will say "Whoa," let's talk to that Dancing Carrot........for now, just a fantasy and something that makes me twinkle inside.  TGIF world here I come!