Mid January this year marked a milestone for me. It was around that time 20 years ago, in 2000, that I had started my job as a barber. If you would have told me back then that I would go on to stay 20 years, I would have laughed. I had no intention of staying in the same job for that amount of time. Even as I write this, it seems as though this is someone else’s story. But it’s mine. And that job turned into a career.
20 years is a long time to think about. So much happens over the span of two decades. I heard a quote once that went something like this, “The weeks go by slowly, but the years fly by.” What a true statement. In many ways it seems like just yesterday I was 22. And in some ways it seems like a lifetime ago. The year 2000 was a big year for me. In addition to landing said job in January, I was also busy planing my wedding for September. I don’t think you always see things in the moment, but when I look back it was an exciting year in terms of new beginnings.
If you spend 20 years behind a barber chair, you will most likely meet an interesting array of folks. I know I did. And not just the clientele. I also watched a few coworkers come and go through the years. I can honestly say that I feel lucky to have worked with people that I actually liked. I will truly miss our daily interactions and conversations. You typically spend more hours in the day with your coworkers than your family. Those work day hours could feel really long if you had to spend them with people you don’t mesh with. As for the clientele, if you have ever worked any job in customer service then you already know, there are some people who will never be happy. In my experience, 99% of people are pretty good, and easy enough to get along with. I had many good clients that would come to see me every few weeks for their haircut. Some for nearly the entire 20 years I was there. Many of them I truly enjoyed getting to know and visiting with, as well as watching some of their kids grow up.
And then there’s that 1%. The people that make you crazy. The ones who say inappropriate things. The ones who are never happy, but continue to come back to torment you and test your patients. I am betting that these people behave the same when they visit other businesses as well. I have personally witnessed customers very poor behavior on more than one occasion at coffee shops, restaurants, and grocery stores. One or two times I had to speak up and say something because I would have burst into flames if I didn’t. It’s actually a pet peeve of mine. There is simply no reason to treat those of us who are in customer service like you are above us. And I’m going to say it…The customer is NOT always right! Have I ever had bad service at a business in the past? Of course. We all have. But there’s a right and wrong way to handle just about anything. The truth is those people are just unhappy and taking it out on the rest of the world. They suck, we don’t. And I sure don’t miss the stress of dealing with them.
Another thing I will not miss is my commute. My drive on a normal, good day was 40 minutes. Throw in a traffic jam or an awesome Michigan winter snow storm, and it’s taken me as long as 3 hours! You wanna talk about some fun there! There’s not many worse ways to spend your time then to stare at taillights on the highway. I know we have all been there.
So why did I quit? For a few years now I have been feeling like I needed to move on. It’s been nagging at me, but I am a creature of habit. I hate to admit it, but change is somewhat scary to me. I always worry about the “what ifs”. What if this doesn’t work out? What if I regret this? What if I make a mistake? You get the idea. Then the Covid-19 quarantine showed up and shutdown my place of employment. The shelter in place stay at home order gave me a lot of time to think about things. I realized how much happier I was being away from my job. It made me reflect on what I valued and really wanted. And to ask myself the question “If not now, when?” So with my husbands support and encouragement, I quit. I feel more free now then I can ever remember feeling. I am excited for whatever is next.
Did anyone else have a similar experience during the Covid-19 quarantine lock down that had you thinking about a life change? Leave a comment and tell us about it. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day!