In less than a week my funny little blog will have its first birthday. 2012 has been an enormous year for me and I'm so glad I decided to write about it. I have had moments of great blogging and moments of great blog neglect. I am so thankful that the feedback I've had about my blog has been overwhelmingly positive, so the people in my life are either very complimentary or great liars!
Today was a monumental day of sorts, it was my final shift at my job at the chemist. I quit the job two weeks ago and have now finished serving out my notice. It is a job that has taught me an enormous amount about myself, the Jewish community and the frightening and fascinating industry that is retail pharmacy.
I think the job at the chemist was a rite of passage for me. The job at the law firm that I had prior to it was wonderful and a very gentle introduction to the world of employment. There wasn't much about the chemist that could be described at gentle. Certainly not the bare cement floor, the eight hour shifts or the spending hours stacking the shelves with incontinence products. I don't think my experience as a uni student would be complete without a somewhat demanding job in retail.
I have met some really fascinating people through working at the chemist, some of whom are colleagues that I very much hope will become "real world" friends. Some of the customers, on the other hand, I will not miss. One thing that I really appreciated about working at the chemist was that it was outside the East Malvern "bubble". Most people live in a bubble, the area in their immediate locale that their life revolves around. I have a love/hate relationship with the East Malvern bubble. I appreciate living in such a quaint little corner of the universe and simultaneously find it to be somewhat narrow. If you entrench yourself too firmly in one place, it is too easy to lose perspective. If you only surround yourself with people who are similar to you, life can become a monotone. Working at the pharmacy provided me with a certain kind of light and shade that you can't find in the familiar.
There is a particular kind of honesty that comes with working in a pharmacy. When you are dealing with people when they are sick or seeking help for embarrassing conditions, you cannot afford to be precious about any much, let alone bodily functions.
I am grateful for the diversity and knowledge that the pharmacy provided me with but the time to move on is certainly here.
I have had the joy of seeing my Adelaide based relatives all together in Melbourne this year. For all the Adelaidians to make the effort to travel meant a lot to my Mum in particular.
Christmas can be stressful but I found it to be extraordinarily relaxed this year. My parents did a spectacular job of hosting and everything went incredibly smoothly. Even the church service we attended really nice. We went down to the local Uniting Church where the minister included a couple of youtube videos in the service, one of which made a passing mention to Jesus having two dads. Having spent a lot of time around the Catholic tradition, I am still surprised when I see Christianity practiced in more liberal and inclusive ways. It won't sway my atheism, but it did remind me that religion does not have to be a used as an implement of judgement or ostracism.
There is something very special about having my aunt, uncle and cousin around the place. When my clan lived in Adelaide our families used to hang out together all the time. Being around them just feels do delightfully normal and relaxing.
I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family.
