While I thought my years of customer service skills built in the church environment would prepare me for public library work, they did not. I was never called a koi fish at church. Nor did I have any inkling how entitled the handful of people who rush to the library as soon as it's open to read the newspaper would be so nasty trying to get to the newspapers first- or badger me to bring them a specific paper the second another person is finished with it (oh how I had to bite my tongue to not inform him I'm not a maid and he should go to that person and use his words to ask for it next like kindergartners are taught). Church didn't prepare me for when a man didn't believe me when I told him the date (he swore it was April). Church was such a waste of time, really.
I haven't really minded the above escapades. People are weird. So what someone thought I was a koi fish? He didn't sexually harass me. The newspaper crowd doesn't yell or flip tables. The man who asked for the date who didn't actually want to know the real date won't impact me. But the woman who went full anger mode when I told her she had to wait her turn for a third free button? She can go fuck herself.
I try to tell myself when I start working full-time next June I will be able to manage it because I will be done with school. But the past three weeks have kind of kicked my ass. How do people do it (and those people very often have kids or are involved in time sucking activities like church)? I've barely managed to keep my sleep regular, stay up to date on homework, walk my dog, eat, and work, much less invest time into myself or my boyfriend or call my favorite Oregonians and Coloradoan! I have just over two weeks left to the semester and I'm not up to my eyeballs in stress which is a miracle- no no, better than a miracle, because I did this by myself (and my group project team members have been reliable Praise the Avacados). Trying to not let myself worry about how intense the summer term will be when it starts up in June.
I don't think I can get out of church next Sunday, so look forward to those open letters starting up again.
-Rachel the Koi Fish