Helping Hands

 When an Ohio winter hits, collecting shopping carts for a store is a job that immediately opens your senses to the frigid weather surrounding you.  With this position, the right outer clothing is essential for safety and success in the frigid wind. Over my store uniform are a mountain extreme jacket, a wool scarf, a face mask, thick gloves, and insulated bib overalls (complete with an array of pockets, snaps, and zippers). My work ensemble is completed with hiking boots.

When my uniform and all this outerwear is on my body it feels heavy, cumbersome, and I occasionally have hot flashes. (I thought this was just a female thing.) Once entirely garbed, I resemble Frosty the Snowman (with a giant pointy baby pacifier on my head).

Factoring out my own physical strength (which is considerable), the tool that makes the magic happen is a long, black, knotted dog leash with a metal hook on the end. This helps me consolidate a group of carts (5-6 for me) together so I can effectively move them to the store’s interior cart stall.

One of the least favorite side effects of this position happens during chilly temperatures. It involves the broken leaky faucet that is my nose. The consistent use of facial tissue is required. During the winter, the part of my job that gives me the most problems is when I have to use the men’s bathroom.

Getting my bib overalls down requires unsnapping one of the straps that keeps this clothing item up. I always have to ask a team member to help me snap this strap into place since my arm can’t quite bend back far enough to do help myself.

Every time I have to get that small amount of help at work in putting my clothing back into place, it reminds me that I can’t do it all on my own. I am happy (and irritated at times) to need other people. The world does not revolve around no one. As much as some people wish they didn’t require others, we all need friendships to be happy and whole.