Ta-Ta Tamers and Humble Beginnings

You'd think working retail would not be a life altering job...but any average high school student could work retail, right? Ironic that every single girl at Lululemon that I work with is college educated? We're smart, talented, and see our retail jobs as more than "sales people of athletic clothing"...we are there to make a difference in the world. I had a life altering day a few days ago at Lulu...not once, but twice in one day I was asked to step into a fitting room with a woman to help her into her bra.

The first woman, 76 years old approached me when she came in the store telling me her daughter-in-law had told her about the "Ta-Ta Tamer" bra and how she needed the "girls" under control. I helped her make a few selections and she stepped into the dressing room to try them on. A few minutes later, she poked her head out and asked for my opinion. She was nervous about stepping out into the fitting area, so she asked me to come into her room. She stood in front of me, almost in tears asking if it fit her body ok. She was a 38DD and said NEVER in 60 years had she put on a bra this comfortable. She told me she'd been waiting her whole life to find a bra like this that didnt cut into her shoulders or make her feel like she was carrying around mellons on her chest. She hugged me and thanked me, saying she would pay a million dollars for this bra. I told her she was in luck - they were only $68. She smiled and said she would take 4 of them. As I carried her bras to the checkout counter, she told me she was so happy she'd had my help. It's the little things in life that matter - and to Maude, it was an associate in a store who lead her to the "perfect" bra.


The second woman was a mid-50's woman who originally came into the store looking for a surprise gift for her daughter...the daughter was having ACL surgery and she wanted to give her a gift to lighten her spirits. I bonded with her over my ACL surgery and then the conversation turned to the own woman's needs. She tried on a few tops with no luck, then admitted that she really needed a new bra. She came back to the fitting room with a couple options, the first of which she tried was the "Ta-Ta Tamer". She poked her head out of the room and asked if I minded stepping in her room and giving her an opinion. I stepped in and she looked nervous. She admitted to me she had a mastectomy a few years ago and was very self-conscious about her chest. She said "look at me - I look normal...are you sure it fits ok?" Had she not told me, I would have had no clue she's had the surgery. She confided in me, she trusted my opinion, and she bought 2 bras that day.

For those of you who said retail is not a satisfying job, I beg to differ. That day I helped two women feel better about themselves. During training, they teach all of us that our vision at Lululemon is to "Elevate the world from a place of mediocrity to greatness." I think I did my small part that day...

Later that day, while I was in the shower (random, I know), I was thinking about life...a thing I ponder more and more recently and I was thinking about my last blog entry. I was thinking about my mantra, my purpose and my breathing. In that moment, my mantra found me. The statement: Humble Beginnings. That's it - the phrase that "creates transformation" in my life.

I've been humbled by all the new beginnings of my life.
*I'm new (again) to Birmingham - having to learn all these new places that have popped up since I moved away and how everyone's life kept going on here without me.
*I'm new to yoga - I look like a toddler learning to walk compared to the yogi's I go to class with. It's hard because I'm athletic, I should be able to do this with ease, right?
*I'm new to Lululemon - yes, we're all new, but I'm the newest of the new girls...having to learn the system, the products and the culture.
*I'm new to IronTribe - everyone knows everyone. The cliques are already developed and I'm the outsider...having to learn 400 names and faces is overwhelming.
*I'm new to the ITF coaching staff - the staff all know each others personalities and coaching styles. The other day at coaches development, I got called into the middle of the circle to coach them...NEVER have I been nervous to coach someone on anything...this time I was. I'm having to learn to coach like a unit - not an individual.
*I'm new to not having routine - every day of my life is different. I'm a planner, a scheduler. For the first time in my life I cannot plan more than a week in advance...I dont know what my work schedule will be. It's really nice...it's teaching me to just role with it.
*I'm new to a church. I haven't found a church home yet, so no matter which one I visit, I'm always a visitor. I pray that I find my place to call "home"...
*I'm just new. I have friends and friend groups already established here, but they have friends I dont know. And to those friends I'm new...I'm the kid from Atlanta. I'm learning to be super social with strangers and expose myself to as many (to me) new people as possible.

So...with all these new beginnings, I'm learning. They say life is a constant learning process...God apparently thinks I have the capacity to learn a million different things all at once. I marvel at His teaching process and know that every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end. Here's to the humbling process of admitting I'm not in charge of the change in my life...Cheers.