A Nexus - Nordstrom Rack Opening in Washington, DC & Resetting my Day

A Nexus - Nordstrom Rack Opening in Washington, DC & Resetting my Day

How fortuitous that today, of all days, Nordstrom Rack opened its doors at the corner of 18^th and L Street in the space previously occupied by Borders.  My office is in a building two blocks away at 20^th and L Street.  While I was walking from Farragut North Metro station to my office at 8:00am this morning I saw a line of people 4 deep winding around the side of the building on 18^th and snaking around K Street. They were waiting to charge through the doors at opening.

The opening was fortuitous because I was having a challenging day. I am not a brain surgeon and have no powers of life or death over others. But my work as a litigation examiner for a major casualty insurer can be stressful. Normally, I accept the ebbs and flows of the work without undue stress. But there have been some additional stressors the last two weeks that have unbalanced my equilibrium. I felt as if a 2-ton weight was pressing on my chest.  I felt resentment towards a coworker that I perceived was exploiting the system to escape work and dump on others.  I let it get to me.

But all of a sudden, I had a flash of brilliance! Retail therapy! If nothing else, I could check out the new store for some treasures. After all, I was still on the hunt for a coral handbag, and even if I found no treasures, I knew that leaving my office for a period of time was critical for my mental and physical wellbeing.

When I emerged from the 7^th floor of my L Street building the sun was shining and the temperature was hovering in the high 70’s. Just the sight of the sunlight improved my attitude. The walk the two blocks to 18^th Street helped me shed my frustration. By the time I entered the store, I’d forgotten my work related angst. And after a mere 30 minutes, I was clutching the holy grail of the day – a beautiful coral quilted leather Kate Spade handbag at 60% off. 

I nearly skipped back to the office.  The rest of my afternoon was essentially stress free. Things started to gel. I let go of my resentment. I was able to reset my day and move forward with a sense of peace and serenity regained. It is all about attitude.  And the lovely coral handbag didn’t hurt!