Celebrating New Learners

     Celebrating with Ruth Ayres and others today. Come visit to see how wonderful it is to celebrate the good things in one's life! This week especially, I want to celebrate Ruth's new book Enticing Hard-to-Reach Writers. It is a special book!

The view out the window.

A view of part of the store. There is more and a
full basement of shelves of books, too.

Just a glimpse of what's on the
shelves today.

      Working at the bookstore with the volunteers and the customers is a lot like working with a class. Each person is unique in what they need, each one tries to be kind and helpful. I'm beginning to know certain customers. Some like to talk about books, while others give me a wave, and move on past me into the store to browse or to look for a specific book. There are quite a few volunteers, some work weekly on one shift; others work only once a month, and for those really new, it's a challenge to remember so many details every four weeks. Today I stayed with a volunteer for the final part of her shift, did some other needed work, but sat and visited, answered questions, gave tips, and asked for her opinions too. I remember how nervous I was at the beginning. I had never run a charge machine before. I didn't know all the areas/topics in the store and didn't know the pricing either. There are so many details to know, just as students must navigate new expectations. Students at least get to know their teachers, but those "selling" at the store even once a week struggle to learn it all fast. Although they can call or email me most any time, and I send an email once a week to the group, they are on their own most of the time, learning how to run a bookstore! 
      Many of the volunteers are retired, although some who work on weekends are not. I celebrate the volunteers today because they give their time and energy to keep the store going, and they are willing to take new learning challenges. I am grateful for them all.