Retail is hard. Not only do I work in retail but I also work in customer care. I sell cell phones for 3 days out of my week. Hence the “minimum wage” page of my bio.

We have the most ridiculous customers come into the store… I mean ridiculous. I could have a whole blog devoted to customers actions.

Our job here is more than just retail, people expect us to perform miracles. I once had this adorable old man in, who after I loaded up his phone with a prepaid card, he pulled his remote control for his TV out of his pocket. He asked if I could fix his TV for him and handed me the remote. We were in the store…his TV was at home. He said he got it stuck on movie mode. It took me 10 minutes just to explain why I couldn’t fix his TV for him from in the store. We don’t even sell cable through our company here in town…but we wrote out what button may fix it for him for when he got home.

At our store we are sales people, technical support, therapists (separating family plans is always a joy), a face to the big box company, someone to take out your bad day on, family to some and miracle workers to others.

Most days are hard – and I have to admit that I have felt my heart harden over the past 2 and a half years of working here. You have to repeatedly correct customers when they say “you did this, you charged me this much, you are screwing me over.” To “box company did this, box company charged you this much, box company is screwing you over.” It took me a long time to have a day at work where I didn’t tear up from a customer – I always took everything personally.

After the last year I recognized that within my personal life, as well as my work life, I needed help. I couldn’t do it alone. I couldn’t handle the stress and communication of everyday life – in all of my relationships. I emailed my pastor and asked for names of a counselor. I was nervous. He gave me two names and where they were located.

I was stressing. What if I chose the wrong one? Will I know? How will I know? What if I don’t actually need it? Am I being dramatic? What if they feel like I’m just wasting their time?

My family was in full support of me seeking counseling. I never really shared why but that wasn’t the point of it – they knew that it was the healthy decision no matter what I was facing. I had spoken with my sister before calling to the counsellors, letting out my last stresses about it and she said “Brenna, if it’s not right then God will show you.” And I said “Okay, you’re right”.

So I called the one that seemed best suited to my needs (although when reading the bio I felt the other one seemed more to my personality.) But this ones credentials seemed right. So I called her. Turns out she was out of the office for the next three weeks. And there I had it – door closed. I called through to the second one (whom I felt was more fitting to me) but her specialty was family counseling. I explained my situations — through tears as I always cry when describing anything at all — and she was more than happy to see me.

She was awesome. She walked me through a lot of thick stuff. One main thing that she helped me understand was taking an issue, letting it get to the tip of your heart then turn it upwards towards God. Take it, listen to the issue and turn it upwards – because whatever the issue may be it is not a burden for your heart to carry, so don’t even let it get there.

I talk a lot. But I’m not one to tell people I went to counseling. I always felt like it was putting a big red dot on my chest saying “I’m screwed up. I’m unstable.” But here I am telling the world because I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not demeaning to go counselling, it is not a negative thing, it is a positive thing. I recognized that I needed help – and I was either going to deal with the issue now while I’m young and unmarried or 15 years down the road in family counseling with my most likely future ex husband and children, letting it tear my future apart. And I wasn’t going to have that. I want to be able to move forward into my future as a whole – not shattered into different pieces trying to tell myself that a man can put me back together. Who am I to put that burden on another?

If you need help, seek it. From my experience with counseling and in my non-professional opinion, everyone probably needs it at some point in their lives. If you’re considering it, do it. Might I have one suggestion for you though? If you’re a Christian or seeking Christian values – find a church, find a counselor at a church or who works with a church. It was really important to me, and where I saw my life heading that I have someone leading me in the values that I was aiming for.

I read this pin on Pinterest the other day (almost all of my sentences start with this in my daily conversation) that said, “The hardest part of my day was being nice to stupid people “. Haha now I’m not trying to call anyone stupid, because we are all fearfully and wonderfully made, but it did make me laugh. My co-worker and I both got a chuckle out of it. It was relatable and sometimes too true. Please pray for me to have patience to deal with customers who try mine, as well as the words to help calm those troubled minds.

And also for us all to be thankful for the job that puts a roof over our heads, and food (although for me it’s a small amount of food, it’s still there) on our tables.