random thoughts – Day 1,424 – (Friday) – total ten

Despite having a desk job, sometimes there are workdays that happen totally out of the office and are fun. Today was one of those.

Behind the scene.

The day started with the usual projects and activities before it was time to dash out for a photo shoot for an ad campaign. The photo subjects were really personable and a lot of fun. 

After the photos, there was another quick stop at the computer to take care of a couple things, a quick lunch of a bowl of soup, and then it was back out the door again. 

The day’s second block of fun was a four-hour volunteer activity at Anton’s Cleaners for some behind the scenes preparations for the upcoming Belle of the Ball event. A colleague and I tackled a mountain of cartons, each holding 12 pairs of shoes. The boxes were removed from the cartons. The shoes were removed from the boxes and liberated of the tissue, stuffing, foam, cardboard, and plastic wrappings protecting them during shipping. Each pair was connected with zip ties, and placed into tubs which were organized by color and size. The stuffing and bags were repacked in the cartons.

It is amazing how much packaging is involved in the cartons of shoes. Little foam disks, wads of tissue, pieces of cardboard in the shoes and between the shoes in the box, tissue over the buckles, tissue over the sparkly parts. Some shoes were in nonwoven fabric bags, others were in plastic bags.

Behind the scene with shoes.

There were shoes in silver, gold, rose gold, nude, black, red, and blue, many encrusted with dazzling embellishments. Flat sandals and strappy heels. Shoes with a platform and without. Criss cross straps, straight straps, curvy straps. Peep toes, closed toes. Name a style, it was probably there, in every size and multiple colors.

We plowed through the cartons and filled the totes, adding to the work done by a few other colleagues in the morning, and other previous volunteer efforts. By the end of the day, the towering cartons of empty shoe boxes nearly reached the ceiling.

Eventually, the shoes, along with purses, jewelry, and of course, a gazillion prom gowns, will be transported to the event center. Stations will be set up for each element of the ensembles. On a designated Saturday, the invited girls will file in for Boutique Day where volunteers will assist in the roles of personal shoppers and help with accessories.

This workday was a full blown 10, and that wasn't just the bins of shoes in that size. It was a great way to offset the earlier ups and downs and shake off the frustrations of the week.