Not That There Is Anything Wrong With That

As a bank teller, there are a multitude of daily tasks that fall under my direct influence. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But some, if not all, could be construed as banal or mind-explodingly mundane in nature, opinions that are, of course, subject to interpretation.

I have found, as a quiet solace to these activities, a new way to look at them. Instead of just cleaning out the dust from the cash machine, I ask myself why is it important to clean this dust out? Or is there a more efficient way to remove this dust? Or, lastly, Do my dust allergies really qualify me as the best person to do this?

This academic and logical mindset opens new doors to my day, and provides the necessary mental stimulation to get me to the end of the shift. I try to find curiosity in the routine, but in some cases this leads me astray.

Some banks, the best ones in my opinion, hand out a lollypop ('sucker' for you Minnesotans) to the kids when they get dragged along with their parents to the bank. It's kind of the only thing we can do for them, seeing as they have to spend ten, maybe twenty minutes of their ADD riddled attention span trying to figure out what in God's name their parents would find interesting about this boring quiet sterile environment. So banks give them some candy, which usually shuts them up enough for their parents to complete their transaction and buckle them back into their car seat right before the sugar high hits.

Out bank, unfortunately, only offers stickers. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Candy offers up the slight possibility of choking, which we are not primarily concerned about, but things like that usually lead to lawsuits, which do bristle some hairs with the board of directors. Apparently kids have not discovered a way to inflict serious harm with a Little Mermaid sticker yet, and until that day, we will continue handing them out.

The problem is, with my new introspective dialectic, picking out a sticker has become a chore. As I was about to hand out a sticker to a young lady in her carseat waving at me, I froze at the selection. The first one I pulled out was a blonde princess with Prince Charming. This girl is Asian, I don't want to reinforce the stereotype of beauty as a white skinny blond girl... that'll destroy her self image later on in life. The next one I pulled out was a Bratz sticker, no way. Third one: Superman punching a building, Jesus the mom is starting to get impatient. Fourth pick: Sally the blue car from the animated movie 'Cars', good enough.

Sending the little lady off with a smile, I came to a sudden realization: she is going to grow up to be an auto mechanic now. Not that there's anything wrong with that.