Cooped In

Peeps. This morning, at appx. 7:45 am, I slipped on my fleece lined mittens and braved the cold to walk a block and a half to the Park Slope Food Coop for my first shift as a new member! If you don't know, the Park Slope Food Coop is pretty famous for an establishment of its kind: a member run grocery store providing local, seasonal, and organic items, in addition to a great selection of beer and household goods, for mostly wholesale prices. The Coop has mixed reviews from it's members, ranging from straight up proselytizing, to deep hatred. After my first frosty experience there with a very unpleasant snub-nosed man in the office, I was worried I had gotten in over my head, like Alana Joblin Ain, who made the Coop sound like Nazi Germany in her 2009 NY Times article. This morning however, I had quite a different experience. I was welcomed by the upbeat and jovial Alexis, my team coordinator, who paired me with the lovely shelving expert Shira (put things on the shelves, and make it pretty). Everyone I encountered this morning was not only pleasant, but downright freaking nice! I found my 2 hour and 45 minute shift very therapeutic. Though I was happy to make conversation with the other workers, I found it relaxing to zone out as I organized row after row of tea, and let my mind wander as I piled the forest of avocados into a sloping mound. I'm sure my relationship to the Coop, as well as my attitude towards my monthly work shift will change over time, but for now I'm not the least bit upset about being all Cooped up.