Guilt Trip - Pssh!

Okay, so another customer encounter.

By now, it's probably no revelation that I work in a bookstore, so the other day I had this girl ask me to help her find this particular book, well a journal really, but not just any journal. This was one of those nifty little things that give you suggestions on what to write on each page like... "List your favorite words and why they're your favorite." .... or your favorite quotes, memories and the like. In general it's whole purpose is to inspire creativity and warm fuzzy feelings.

Of course I didn't know all this before I found it for her. Before I found it, it was merely another title with a human request. However, once I'd put it in her hand she just lit up and started gushing about how excited she was to have it and just went on and on about all the things she wanted to do with it. The phone was ringing and I was supposed to answer it, but I didn't have the heart to interrupt her.

She was just so enthralled in the romance and idealism of the whole thing and started talking about how she intended on starting a blog about it so maybe other people would read it and be inspired. I was about to mention that I had just started a blog too and was really pleased with it so far. I don't usually get too personal with customers but her enthusiasm was infectious!

But then she said it, " Cause you know, I hate those people who blog and all they do is just complain about their lives and stuff. You know? Like who wants to read about that? It's so annoying and depressing. The world is dark enough. Like what do most of us really have to complain about anyway?"

Alright, so that being a few days ago and my short-term memory not really allowing for such concise dialogue memorization, I winged that a lil bit, but it's pretty much the gist of what she said. My heart sank.

I quickly shut my mouth and thought, Holy Crap! I am "those people!" All I've done in this so far is gripe about my life. What is wrong with me?! I'm spewing bad juju all over the place! I used to be just like this bright-eyed optimistic girl standing in front of me full of idealism and optimism and.... NAIVETY!

I started to feel bad, but then I thought, Pssh! She's still living in that highschool bubble. She doesn't have problems. I mean the biggest thing she and most of her little friends have to worry about is next week's math test, the pimple that just popped up on their nose, and omg! Justin hasn't texted me back in like 5 minutes, my world is just over!!

Just wait 'til she starts having to pay her own bills, pay her way through college, gets her heart broken for the first time, sees friends come and go, gets stabbed in the back more then her fair share, and finally realizes that life isn't a Disney movie and there aren't always happy endings. Then lets just see what she wants to blog about then! ... Jerkface hypocrite!

Haha.... ok so I got a little carried away there.

Suffice it to say, I took a little of what she said to heart and though I did decide to start inserting some more inspirational stuff along the way -heck, I'm still that little optimistic girl somewhere inside here - I also feel that I sufficiently warned my readers what this blog would be. I mean, just scroll to the top and you'll see the by-line.

So, true to myself I shall stay and vent away.

Oh, and she really was just a cute little thing. She actually asked if it would be ok to come back and show me what she'd done with the journal. I told her of course, I'd love to see it! Like she said, the world is dark enough. Far be it from me to be one of those people who takes away some of her sunshine. I may even buy the thing myself.