While Tom Hanks is remembered for comparing life to a box of chocolates, likening life to a fresh bag of grocery items seems much more appropriate to me.

In the two and a half years I have worked as a courtesy clerk, or as I like to call myself, “culinary packing engineer,” I have learned quite a bit about life. Beyond just putting eggs and bread on the top of bags to dealing with customers, bagging groceries has taught me much.

“The customer is always right.” Any employee of a retail job is told to make this slogan their life’s purpose, as satisfying patrons is the goal of the store. Beyond customers, however, learning to take instructions from teachers, parents, managers and others in power is important, regardless of how ridiculous they may seem. Bagging an order once in plastic, then in paper, then again in plastic may seem just as useless as shoveling a driveway during a snowstorm, but sometimes listening and following orders pays off in the long run. By finding a sense of accomplishment, students can find enjoyment in any obstacle.

Like problems in life, groceries will just keep coming down the line toward you. Whether it’s that annoying 2-gallon jug of apple juice missing its handle or an insane question on a math test, life is like an endless conveyor belt of problems. With some perseverance, fortitude and creativity, however, any challenge can be overcome.

Thinking ahead and looking at the cart to judge what items are in it rather than getting caught up or scared by the current ones will help you plan ahead, just like splitting up a 200-page English book you have a week to read into nightly segments. Dealing with each task individually, rather than stressing out at the enormity of the whole, will make each challenge seem more manageable (or baggable).

We all make mistakes. Forgetting to put rubber bands on cartons of eggs is in a lot of ways just as important as forgetting to study for that vocab test you have in English next hour. Facing consequences can be tough, but the best lesson you can take out of your mistakes is not to make them again. Self-reflection can be hard, but by working on improving your weaknesses rather than strengths you will become a well-rounded student, or grocery bagger, be it through better weight distribution in bags or accents in Spanish class.

Even while a box of chocolates may itself represent a troubling aspect of life, it is the entire parcel, whether paper or plastic, that truly bags life.