Today, I went into the Charity Shop as a favour to the manager, as he was really short staffed. I'm trying hard not to do 3 days per week, as it is just too much, but he was a bit stuck this week, so I agreed to go in.
It was a very quiet morning and pretty uneventful. I left around 2.50pm and as I was walking down the high street there was a crowd gathered around a local cafe. At first I thought it was a party as there was a bit of shouting, but then I noticed that there was a car embedded in the front of the cafe. I could hear people around me on the street saying how it would be a miracle if no one was under the car, but I didn't stick around, as it seemed ghoulish to stand around watching. (Some people didn't seem to have a problem with taking photos of the scene on their phones, however)
As I reached the station a fire engine, paramedic car and an ambulance were speeding to the scene and the air ambulance was circling above. I must have missed seeing the accident by minutes or even possibly seconds. I felt a bit shaken when I got on the train. I rang the shop to tell them I was okay, just in case anyone told them about the accident and they might have been wondering if I'd been involved. (They hadn't even heard anything about it, but it had been very quiet in the shop as everyone locally was probably looking on at the scene)
When I got home, I checked out the local paper's online site, to find that there had indeed been someone under the car, who had subsequently been cut free and was being treated at a local trauma centre. Hopefully, she'll be okay. A bit of a dramatic day to say the least. It makes you think about how precious life is. You just wouldn't expect something like that to happen whilst sat outside of a cafe having a coffee.
Needless to say, I'm glad to be home safely for the weekend.
That was a shock to witness. Try not to over do it at the CS xx
ReplyDeleteI'm really trying hard not to, but find it so difficult to say no, when I know that they may have to close the shop for the morning if I do.
DeleteOh no, what an awful thing to happen.
ReplyDeleteI agree about not doing too much, if the shop can't open it's not your problem or your responsibility. If you want to do it, fine, if it's for any other reason you're well within your rights to refuse.
It always feels like a close call if you have just missed an event like that and you start to think of what might have happened if you had been in that same place only moments earlier.
ReplyDeleteI am sure the manager was extremely grateful for your extra hours - my Russian sister in law is manager of a Charity shop and she finds it so hard to organise the volunteers - she often ends up working all week and foregoing her day off due to staff shortages. However, it can be an ongoing problem so you will have to practise saying no and not feel too bad about it or you may find you have to give up altogether and that would be a great pity for the shop in the long run. Just do what you feel able to give time wise and feel good that you are giving that time to help.
I really didn't realise how stressful running a charity shop can be until I worked in one. It seems a pity that it has to be that way and that better arrangements can't be made somehow.
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