Alex Ayers – Life of an Intern at Karin’s Florist – Blog #2
As I reached for the roses, I felt a sharp prick on my finger. I jumped away from the table. In a state of excitement, I looked down at the neat petals of the aggressor which sat still. I looked up and made eye contact with my co-worker, Ana, who was also taking the thorns off the roses. She looked up calmly and smiled, but without hesitation, she looked down at the rest of the roses that needed processing and continued to work. What lingered in my mind was how a rose could be so charming and also so unfriendly.
It was a firsthand example of how every aspect of life has its roses and thorns. However, what Ana showed me with that quick gesture, is that even when you encounter the thorns, you can’t let those obstacles stop you. Even after I got pricked, we continued to work, and this mindset of not letting challenges stop you is something that I believe is an unstated principle at Karin’s. From Bruno jumping in the recycling dumpster to make it possible to squeeze more cardboard inside to delivery drivers navigating large office buildings with heavy arrangements in tow, whenever I’ve seen a Karin’s Florist employee approach a challenge it is always a story of triumph. This attitude of never letting adversity hinder you is something I’ve come to admire, and when I put on my newly issued Karin’s Florist hat and polo, I hope a little of that attitude will rub off on me too.
For more on the day to day though, I thought I’d talk about some of the tasks I’ve been assigned during my internship. One of my most frequented jobs during my first couple of weeks was cleaning. I didn’t know how to do much else, so the fact that using a broom and dustpan is universal led to this being a common activity for me. Because I would often clean, I learned that the floral business is a messy one. As Jonathan, one of our designers, said, “we are the hot mess express”. This saying really set in when me and Jonathan cut bamboo with a power tool similar to a saw. After we cut our first few pieces, I thought we were done, so I swept up the bamboo dust that had drifted around the floor. Then, as I walked over to put away the broom, I saw Jonathan stroll back in with the saw. Needless to say, I had to use the broom again. Even though it does seem like we’re the hot mess express sometimes, at the end of the day everything is always cleaned up. So, no matter how big the mess, I’ve seen that there are always people ready to clean it up and face the obstacles put in front of them.
Well, that’s a little about me and what I’ve been up to at Karin’s. I’m excited to continue to foster relationships with the people around me and see what else I can learn. I have been repeatedly surprised at the richness of the personalities of the people around me and how great it feels to be a part of the Karin’s Florist community. I can’t wait to see what awaits me next!
