Saturday, June 12, 2010

tailoring

After Chad's weight loss, many of his suits were too big. Besides that, he just doesn't wear suits as often these days. But this weekend, he is doing a wedding, and needed to buy a good black suit. Since that's what I do, I normally do his alterations myself. It's been a while, so I take longer to do it than when I did this sort of thing every day. But I enjoy it.

While working on his suit, I thought back to jobs I've held and people I've worked with, and for. One of the first was Ruby, the head of the alterations department when I first went to work for Rogers Department Store. That was twenty-plus years ago, and often a customer would question my sewing ability based merely on my age. Mrs. Ruby would come to my defense like a mother hen. And among the highest compliments I've ever received were the times when I would show Mrs. Ruby a particularly challenging completed project, and she would say "You did a bang-up job on that!" (For those of you not from the South, allow me to translate: "You did a great job!")

I also thought of Melanie; she was one of the first people I met when we moved to Florida. We waited patiently, planned, plotted, and maybe even schemed a little, until the day came that I could come to work at her bridal shop. She was always so helpful, not just as an employer but as a friend. That was the last full time job I held, before Lizi was born.

And so many others; from some, I learned what to do, from some I learned what not to do.

I suppose my age has caught up to my ability, as I rarely get a sideways glance anymore when people learn I do sewing and alterations. And I don't miss having to dress up and punch a clock every day. But even though full-time mothering has its own rewards, and I wouldn't trade it for anything, sometimes an actual paycheck that I earned myself would be nice.


3 comments:

Amy @ Hope Is the Word said...

I know what you mean, Kim. I'm thankful I still "get" to work a very, very part-time teaching job, and even it gets a little too much for me some times. ;-) But I am thankful for the (admittedly very, very small) paycheck I bring home when I do teach.

You and I both know, though, that we are doing what we should be doing, and that makes it worthwhile! :-)

Kim said...

indeed! :)

Charlotte said...

and you BOTH are doing a "bang up job". Ya'll have this mothering thing down pat!