So today was supposed to be a lark, caper, escapade, antic, romp, and a rollick. It was supposed to be filled with shenanigans and monkeyshines and roguery, perhaps even getting me into a scrape or some mischievous vagary. Well, that's what I figured would happen and what it began as. As it turned out, more than one Universe had a hand in me ending up with a dream volunteer job by the end of the day.
I got my usual email from The Universe and it was heart-lifting and all that feel-good, happy happy, joy joy stuff, but below it was a link to Mike Dooley's book signing schedule and I clicked on it, curious to see if he was coming to Seattle (not like I would pay hecka money to go see some guy who started out with good intentions, but you know how power gets to you). And it turned out he will be coming here. Not only that, but he will be coming to some new age bookstore not to far away from where I live.
What the hell, I figured, I might as well go on a romp and check it out to see what the deal is. And in thirty minutes I was on the 66 bus towards the East West Bookshop. Curiosity had won out and the Universe knew, it probably knows me really well by now, that my curiosity is insatiable, so it decided to put wonderful things near that bookstore.
The bookstore itself is filled with charlatan prices for ordinary goods and while I was in there I couldn't help but to wonder who in hell buys this crap at this price? It was $2.50 for a tumbled Amethyst that I could get almost anywhere else for about a dollar or less. Almost all the prices were jacked up that way. It made me curious as to how the store manages to survive. I certainly would never go there more than that one time today.
I feel like they are taking advantage of weak people who have been told by new age fluffy self help books (and non-fluffy ones too) that they need such-and-such crystal to realign this-and-that chakra or soul body and once they start thinking happy thoughts in the way that this twenty dollar book tells them to, their life will become perfect and they will have a happy marriage and great sex, but only if they put this and that herb in their bath and such and so dream catcher over their bed and do yoga every morning on a $44.00 all natural yoga mat, which is less sticky and therefore the weak minded will fall, while knowing that you already have your dream life. Or something like that. Majorly exaggerated, but I think you can understand where I am coming from.
And so all I bought was a Carnelian, a Tangerine Quartz, an Imperial Topaz (topaz is my birthstone), and a Yellow Calcite aka Sunny (according to the tag). I had to pay eight something dollars for that. Damn overpriced. Not to mention the people who worked there were sort of dismissive of me since I did not look like a fancy housewife trying to improve her sex life or make her chakras align. My chakras are not perfect, but I love them, thank you very much. And with that thought, I left.
Side note: My friends wanted to video tape me eating my ice cream cake during my birthday a few years ago because I ate a slice in way less time than anyone else. I have a passion, love, lust, profound attraction to ice cream. And on top of that my two favorite breads are anpan and custardpan (red bean bun and custard bun). Thank the Stars I have enough self control to not be overweight.
And between the bookstore and the bus that would take me back to my apartment was a shop called Peaks and they serve FROZEN CUSTARD. It is like icecream, but richer and with a smoother, heavier texture because they use an egg as well as the usual ingredients. It is served in heaven for breakfast, secondsies, lunch, tea time, dinner, and desert. Chai tea frozen custard. My bites were tiny, like the size of my thumbnail and I took so much time that it started melting before I finished it. With the size of my normal ice cream spoonfuls and the speed at which I down them, this is a feat normally accomplished only through miracles, divine intervention, or complete possession by a very demure spirit. Basically, if you haven't tried it, put frozen custard on your bucket list.
And when I was finished with the frozen custard, which took a while, I decided that I would again head for the elusive bus stop at Roosevelt and 65th. But no. The Universe once again bet on my curiosity-always a safe bet-and there was a store that I almost passed by, but they had interesting stained glass art in the window and there were more eclectic trinkets inside. I backtracked and entered the store. Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade shop with incredibly unique, intriguing, and beguiling products and everyone who works there is a volunteer, as I found out when the lady at the counter realized I had never been in the store before and decided to tell me its story. So I bought a ceramic ocarina shaped like a seahorse (excellent for calling the spirits of the sea) and earrings that I just really liked, gave her my phone number so she could call me when the next volunteer orientation would be, and left the store.
Five minutes later I was on the 66 again, this time headed back to my apartment. Half way there, I got a call from the lady at the store, Geena. There was a volunteer orientation tonight at 6. Lovely, count me in, I'll be there.
And at 6, I was back in 10,000 Villages playing intro games with four high school freshman volunteers and three Taiwanese exchange students who go to Seattle U. I was the oldest. I think this is the first time that I have been the oldest of a gathering of people, but luckily one of the freshmen, Amelia I believe was her name, acted like a college student and we got along like long-lost friends. And the Universe gets bonus points for making sure that her work schedule and mine would be the same. Way to be outright incredible.
So basically, The Universe Major and TUT's Universe Minor tag teamed me into exactly the kind of volunteer job I always wanted. Store experience without needing the phrase "Store experience" on some resume. Have I told you guys that life is amazing and filled with every opportunity we could possibly dream of, all we have to do is the unexpected, go out of our way, and try new things and ideas? Do I currently sound like a fluff bunny? I'm really not. I'm just really overjoyed. So overjoyed in fact, that I wouldn't be surprised if my joy spills over and leaks into your life.
May the Stars guide you true and the Moon light your path! Hugs and kisses! Y'all take care now, ya hear!
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