Category: Work

When I’m not reading about the latest gossip, I like to read the Meta Filter forum.
Today I read about a woman who’s leaving her job and feels sad about leaving her friends but happy and excited about her new opportunity.

That hit home. Well, not the leaving part — the friend part.

I made one of my very best friends at my first job — yeah, over 20 years ago. I was just a kid and he was — and is — very much a grown up. But apparently I was a fairly mature young person who didn’t drive adults crazy — I know this because I once asked him how he could stand me then.

I’ve been at my current workplace since my late twenties — so a while now. And I’ve made so many good friends there — in fact, some of my best friends. People I spent time with in my — gasp — personal time.

I know many people make friends at work. But my work is more like a community.

It actually feels a bit like high school — I’m one of those weirdos who liked high school.
I can — and do — say hello to about six people before I even enter the hallway to my office. Nice people who like to say hello to each other. (Okay, maybe not exactly like high school.) But it’s comforting to see the same faces everyday — for years — and to share a greeting, a laugh or the latest tidbit in the lobby. To genuinely share a pleasant moment with people before getting to work — since I do that, too — is something I enjoy.

On a typical day I might say hello to G. the caretaker, I. the building manager, A. and J in the coffee line and who knows who else. It’s like a village and we meet in the town square.

I also belong to a book club comprised of people I work with. How many people can say that? And I have met some wonderful people there. We laugh a lot and tease each other incessantly — both in person and online.

I know I am very lucky and I don’t take my good fortune lightly. I am not one of those people who dreads going to work. I never have been actually — even in jobs I didn’t love — but when you love your job and the people you work with…well, that’s pretty amazing.

Okay, enough of this sappy talk. Next time I will write about all the things that annoy me. I’m making a list. It’s gonna be long.

My sunglasses broke — my prescription fancy-pants sunglasses — Valentino, if you’re curious. I bought a new pair at Shoppers Drug Mart. They are not fancy, but they’ll do until I can get them fixed.

Because I was so distraught – and because I hate my temporary ones — I was complaining about my glasses to two youngish colleagues as we were walking out of the office after a long day at the factory.

Without thinking I said: “Yeah, they’re broken but it looks pretty easy to fix. I just need a little screw.”

So they laughed and laughed — and I realized what I said. Ha ha on me. I kinda started to apologize in a joking way since they were younger colleagues who I did not know very well and I may have perhaps – inadvertently – offended them. But they had none of it….one of them even said: “We all do”. They – apparently – like it when older colleagues lighten up. Oh, they just need to get to know me a bit better. But I tend to keep my extreme lightheartedness to myself with people I don’t know well.

I didn’t quite put my fingers in my ears and starting singing: “la, la, la, la – I can’t hear you.” But I did express mock prudishness. I am far from a prude, but I enjoy pretending to be sometimes.