This One's For All My Dead Homies...

When I started working at American Eagle I didn't think anything of it.  Up to that point in time I had held 2 jobs.  McDonald's when I was 15ish, and Noodles'N'Company for the duration of the summer before my mission.  I quit McD's after only a month, and I was only at Noodles for 8-9 months.  I didn't quite know if all jobs were like that, but some people seemed to have been at these "job" things for quite a while!  Years even.  Decades if they were really dedicated/confused/stuck/etc.

It is coming closer and closer to my time to leave AE, after having worked there for 2 1/2 years, and I never EVER suspected I would get emotional about it.

Tonight was my last floorset at store 2062, and there was absolutely nothing special about it, which is ok, because floorsets are kinda crap to start with.  I also found out that my head Manager, Justin, turned in his two week notice today.  This is a man that has been with the company for somewhere around 10 years.  I never thought I'd see the day when he was no longer there.  He had always been there, and I figured he would continue to always be there.  All night, while building walls I couldn't wrap my head around this idea that he would someday be gone...

THIS IS CRAZY

I have dealt with death, loss, sadness, pain, grief, depression, but never have I felt this way.

One of my other managers, Roz, quit just a matter of weeks ago.  It was rather unexpected, but I hardly felt a thing.  I was a little sad that her quirky personality wouldn't be around anymore, but it was nothing emotional.  Just completely habitual I would say.

And now Justin is leaving and it feels like my whole world is turned upside down!  What will become of the store?  Who will the new Store Manager be?  What will happen to the happy, laughing atmosphere that is found at only our AE?  How long before Adam leaves, too?  What will the other employees think?  How long will they stick around?

I won't be around to find out the answer to any of these questions...and I'm glad for that.  I can't imagine an AE without my favorite people around.

And the strange thing is...it seems like everyone else is leaving about this time, too!

Our store is strange because we have little turn-over.  In an industry that is full of little teenagers that need a job just for nights after school for a couple years, or college kids that just need to work while home for the holidays, our store has been the exact opposite.  We have had a constant, unchanging workforce for almost the entirety of the 2+ years I've been here.  Now, we're all moving on...

It's like we are all getting a divorce or something!

This has all just become very real.  I guess before, I knew that I would someday leave, but I never imagined what the day would be like when it actually happened.  It's still quite...surreal.

But this is a retail job!  What is there to be emotional about?! 

Life is sure gonna be different in a month...

***

Life is amazing now.

~Boy

Dupe

That's pronounced Doo-peh, not doop.
***
Today was a fantastic day to be alive and a member of the Lord's church if you live in the Midwestern area of the United States.
-Stake conference broadcast with Elder Cook, Bishop Burton, and President Eyring.
-CES Fireside with Elder Perry.
Pretty good stuff.

So, on this topic, I had a couple pretty awesome revelations today, and a couple moments of increased determination:
-satan quivers when he see's faithful Saints on their knees.
The last week I have been doing fantastic with a little one of my persistent sins.  BUT, I have been doing terrible with my scripture reading and daily prayers.  So last night I picked back up my New Testament scripture reading and immediately today I am ambushed by all these temptations over again.  He wants so bad for us to just give up the simple, little, everyday things, because it is those things that keep us on the path of righteousness.  I gave the exact same talk at least twice on my mission of the everyday battles, and how they are more important in the long run than a single, glorious day.

(These could/should probably be added to the goal list I made earlier this year)
-I will only watch three television shows from here on out, Biggest Loser, The Office, and Community.  All other shows were funny, but they were ultimately an even bigger waste of time than absolutely anything else I could have been doing.
-For every hour of TV that I watch, pointless internet that I surf or video games that I play, I will spend the same amount of time during the week doing something productive...such as practicing guitar or piano, studying the scriptures or other church-related materials, or simply educational reading or music categorization.
-Daily workout is a must.  No exceptions.  Except the Sabbath, on which day I will abstain.  Just something, ANYTHING to get active again.  Winter has destroyed my physically fit drive, and that is terrible.
-Brush my teeth twice a day EVERY day, and always wash my face before bed.  I have gotten really lazy with this as well when going to bed so late at night.  If I can make time for other pointless activities in my life, I can certainly make time for a basic 5-minute routine of brushing and washing before bed.
***
Now I have to go to bed so I can get a jumpstart on some of these goals.
Ciao.

~Boy