"Life is a Special Occassion"

Most of you know I have my dream job... working for Hallmark.   My name is Betsey and I'm a Hallmark-aholic.  I'm about to celebrate my one year anniversary at the company although I've worked at two separate retail stores.  The customers at any store however are the same - they are all just looking for some way to make an ordinary moment special.  That's where I come in.  I get to spend my days helping people pick out just the perfect card for a sick co-worker or just the right thank you gift for nurses who took care of a sick husband in the hospital.  Its very gratifying to go home knowing I made a difference... or at least tried.

Hallmark's new media campaign is Life is a Special Occassion.  I have long believed that is true.   I just wanted to take a minute and share with you some of the Hallmark moments that make going to work a true joy for me.
 
One especially touching moment came when a woman needed help picking out a birthday card for her ex husband.  She had a few specifications which included not too mushy, not too simple, and nothing that talked about birthdays in the future.  You see, this would be his last birthday.  He was in Hospice and the family was getting together that weekend to celebrate him before it was too late.  She was not invited to the gathering though as the new wife had forbidden her to see him.   Its amazing what you can find out about someone in just a few minutes if you take the time to listen.  We searched several cards and finally found the perfect one.  It was a beautiful card that spoke of how he had touched so many people in his life and how she just wanted to let him know she was one of those people.  It was a sale that ended with a hug.

In my job we are supposed to walk the customer to the section of cards they are looking for.  A man came in one day needing an anniversary card for his wife.  I started to walk him over to those cards when I noticed a woman standing by just that section with a very surprised look on her face.  Turns out they were married to each other!  We all had a great laugh and they decided to go to lunch together instead of shop for cards.  So, I didn't sell anything but it was worth getting a glimpse of this couple's life and knowing they would most likely have many more happy years together.

Last week a woman came in and purchased one of our Disney plaques that featured one of Walt Disney's most famous quotes,  "If you can dream it, you can do it".   She picked it up so quickly I asked her if there was a significance to the purchase.   She told me that her 7 year old granddaughter had a dream about learning to ride her bike without training wheels.  She told her grandma, "If I dream it, I can do it!".   What a special moment!

A young man named Mario asked for my help finding a few special gifts for his baby sister who was headed off to college.  He had a very small budget to work with but we found some fun things in the clearance section of the store.  By the time he left, he was quite happy with his special gift bag for his very special sister.  His eyes teared up when he thanked us for helping him and told us how very much he was going to miss her.

This job has even brought me three new friends who started out as customers, reunited me with an old school teacher, and most importantly, makes me feel like I'm living my purpose.   I know it sounds silly... I don't make the big bucks, I don't have a college degree, I don't even have benefits since I'm part time.   But to me its not "just" a retail job.  Its a mission if you will - a mission to help others connect, to make memories, to love, to laugh, to heal.

When is the last time you sent a card?  When is the last time you found something in your mailbox with your name on it that wasn't a bill?  There are cards for every occasion you can think of - birthdays of course but also anniversaries, get well, potty training, thinking of you, sympathy, hi / hello, entering the military, going off to college, miss you, congratulations on your job, new house, new pet, even blank cards so you can create your own occasion.  Next time you pass a Hallmark store, stop in.   Make today a special occasion.  Just because you can.  The smile on someone else's face will be well worth your time. 

Why I Talk to Strangers

I sat next to a young woman on a plane last week but we didn't speak.   I'm one of those people who would love to hear your life story but I know not everyone feels that way.   When we landed in Dallas I had a text from my husband saying my flight home had been delayed.   I turned to the gal next to me and asked if she was staying in Dallas or moving on somewhere and she said she was going to Memphis.  I let her in on the bad news and next thing you know we're chatting like we're long lost friends.   We took the shuttle to the next terminal together and grabbed some dinner while killing time. She's expecting her first child so we chatted about babies and men and God and life choices in general.  By the time we checked into the gate, we were hoping we could get two seats together.  We politely begged the gate agent but that didn't work out.  I did give her my card and we are now Facebook friends.  I just wish we hadn't been so polite and respectful of each other's space on the first flight! It sure would have made that first flight a lot more fun!