Saying Thank You Out Loud

I hate to shop for clothes. I just don't like it. Everything on the racks look the same and nothing looks like it's made for a real person to wear, especially one with more curves and rolls than the eating disordered models in magazines. I hate spending the money on clothes. No, I wouldn't rather be naked; I'm just more comfortable in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. And, I won't try clothes on. I go for the generic sizing or one-size-fits-all kind of thing.

But, today, I had to shop for clothes. I have two interviews coming up that are important, and I have to present myself in a favorable way. I have to do well in that 'first impression' part of things.

So, I headed on out to the only department store in town. I wandered around, lost as usual in that particular store, and finally stumbled into the right department. I went from rack to rack and back again, going in circles, finding nothing. A woman looks at me and said, "Can I help you find anything?"

"Sure! I have an interview tomorrow, and I don't know how to dress!" She looked me up and down with a glint in her eye. I expected the same remark she gave: "Well, you're dressed now!" Ah, a like-minded person.

After a few questions about the interviews, she heads out to all the racks of clothes with a definite idea in her head of what would be suitable for me to wear. I was just so relieved to have found someone to tell me what I should wear that it took a few minutes for me to realize that she was looking and finding exactly the things I immediately liked. Why can't I find those things when I shop myself?

Now I'm armed with a nice suit, very nice suit. And, she made me try it on. She didn't want me to wake up tomorrow morning, put the clothes on and find that nothing fit. That would be a disaster, she tells me. So, I did, and yep, it fit perfectly!

I came out of the dressing room all grins, and decided I'd better invest in a pair of shoes too. So, she walks me there, talking all the while. Turns out she is also a counselor, only working at the store to be doing something, anything, while waiting for the release to return to her job. We talked and talked, and when we got over to the shoe department, she helped me pick out shoes too.

In all my life, I have never had this great of a shopping experience. And, for once, I came out of a store with exactly what I wanted and needed.

To this lady, I want to say, "thank you," and yes, I will come back in to let you know how the interviews went!