"The only disability in life is a bad attitude."
It's been a nice day, I told yesterday that my Boss and I would go to a market to sell our (selfmade) wooden products. Although all that, I had no clue what kinda market it was and what kinda people I'm going to see and meet. Yeah, I have been on markets a million times, but selling products or items? No. "I
just will see what this day will bring me," I thought, I was tired though and riding my bike (again) to work wasn't that a pleasure. I took of at 8:10 am, cause I had to be at work at 8:30 am. It was busy on the street, parents taking there kids to school, office people going to work, teenagers going to college. It was a mixure of bikes, screaming kids and cars, lol. Rush hour in Holland. But I arrived perfectly on time though, when I arrived my Boss came five minutes later after me. He brought a trailer behind his car for the wooden furniture we will bring to the market.
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| Packing the furniture in the trailer. |
The trailer was just big enough for all the stuff we brought, a complete lounge set, crats, flower crats, butler trays, everything just fitted. But what a heavy work, the carying was so heavy, but okay. We took off and headed to the place we had to be, city Enschede. We were going to 'Bouwhuis,' in Enschede. Bouwhuis is a care center for disabled people in many ways. With many ways I mean there are many sort of disabled people living at Bouwhuis,
there disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these. I surely didn't expect that we were going there, I never even been to the place, "I will just see what it is", I thought. When we arrived a friend of my Boss guided us to the spot where were going to stand for today. I knew the guy though, it was a good customer from Reah, he's a male nurse from Bouwhuis, in other words he helps the disabled people, guiding them, nurse them.
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| Our spot... |
The spot where we will be standing was right next to a huge barrel-organ (sigh!) Sigh, but nice aswell. The Organ was standing left from us, and on our right side there was a gymnastic spot, where people could do gym or dance, ofcource the music was pumpin loud. I didn't mind, I just laughed about it. I saw a nice day ahead of me. We un-stalled our products on our spot, and waited for the customers. Although there was a bit of a cold wind it was nice to look around, I already took my hat of for all the nursers (as I call them for today) what 'they' all do for the disabled people is amazing. It's such a nice gesture towards the disabled people, the market and everything around it was specially for 'these' people. When I was sitting on a iron trashcan (a selfmade chair) I looked around on our spot, and saw all the wooden furniture I made the last 4/5 months. I was thinking, "I made most of this and now I'm selling it," that's a good feeling, also when people look at it and compliment me and my Boss.
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| ...Our products. |
Around 12:00 my Boss treated me on a nice lunch as he promised me yesterday, tomato soup, a healty sandwich, and french fries. I felt a bit guilty, lol, he shouldn't have. But it came right on time, I was getting cold and the soup was doing me good. My Boss was cold too, he didn't take a jacket with him, I did though but was still cold. I noticed that I'm not a market man, lol. Standing there waiting for the customers to buy our stuff, the long standing and the cold wind did it to me. But the atmosphere was good, it was nice being here. After our lunch we were kinda warmed up and went outside again. But the customers stayed out, ofcource we had lots of people looking at our products, but they were not buying it. I guess you could blame the kinda market it was, it was a fleamarket. On a fleamarket you can buy stuff for under 10 Euro's, our products were a bit expensiver. Our lounge set for example was 475 Euro, butler trays for 60 Euro aswell the flower crats for each 0 Euro. Alot of money, I know.
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| Our first customer. |
It's the material, and the hours work on the product what makes it so expensive. It is like it is. The day went on and I was getting colder, I noticed that my Boss wasn't much with me. He might have done that on purpose, cause many times he told me today, "Come on sell your/our products," with a big smile. I guess he was thinking that it will makes me assertive, lol, I didn't mind again. Many times customers came up to me and asked me questions about the products, and many times I could answer them. Allthough with some questions I had problems, but then I called my Boss. Cause he's the Boss, and my Boss knows everything, lol. I saw the disabled people were having fun, they were dancing with the gymnastics, and they could take a ride (for the fun) in a firetruck or in a police car, nice. I was still could but I could handle it, a few cuppa coffee's kept me warm. "A quarter before four were gonna pack our stuff and leave," told my Boss, the market last till 4:00.
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| Gotta love a barrel-organ..... I did! |
It was 3:00 and I had enough, I was done and couldn't wait till we would pack our stuff. I think my Boss had enough too, lol by the look on his face, it's been a long (cold) day. The barrel-organ stopped aswell, I was happy with that cause it seemed the organ was getting louder and louder, lol. And for six hours long the same songs over and over gets anoying too.
It was time to pack, and we sold a few things aswell, yay! The loungeset, sold! Two butler trays, sold! One crat, sold! My Boss and I were happy, he told me, "We sold it, that's one, and two? We don't have to lift that heavy loungset again in our trailer," That's two wins! I had a nice day, and tomorrow I was alowed to take a half day off. I will start tommorow after lunch, so I can sleep in tomorrow morning. It's needed. Again I having nothing but good for the nurses at care center 'Bouwhuis,' my compliments to them. I saw it's a tough job today, I'm taking my hat of again.
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| Ice-scream master Willy! |
Just before 5:00 pm we got back at Reah, we unpacked our left products and my Boss wished me a good rest of the day, he thanked me aswell. I thanked him too, I was glad that I went. I was right on time for the free dinner aswell, Marcaroni and meatloaf! A full day, now I'm relaxing and writing this last piece of this post, cuppa coffee next to me. Relaxation has started....
