Is that a disco ball in your office?

Today I was trolling about my office asking for some blog ideas. My colleague J. suggested I write about my drawer of toys. (She’s the one who suggested my post about hugging, so she has a good sense of my material.)

I showed her this drawer for her amusement about a month ago. I forget why I revealed my treasures, but she wasn’t too surprised that I had a box full of toys in my office. Action figures, barbies, cartoon characters, a little train on a tiny track and lots of other odd things — yeah, I have toys. A whole box in my credenza right beside the more likely occupant of files.

They used to be displayed in my office on a shelf and on my window ledge. I also had a string of party lights shaped like cactuses around the perimeter of the ceiling — I stayed late after work to install them. I sometimes turned off my lights to work by the cactus glow. It got me in the mood to write things.

But one day the toys got put in a box. That was the day I moved to a bigger office because a baby was born and I had to start wearing more suits and shoes that did not reveal much of my personality. And as smaller meetings were a more frequent occurrence in my new office, toys I felt, would not set the correct tone.

When the baby was bigger, I moved back to my old office. And back into my old wardrobe — suits when necessary, colourful sneakers when not.

But for some reason I did not unpack my toys. I unpacked a few — and there was an office move in there as well — but most remained in the box.

Right now I have an Etch-A-Sketch on my desk and an Ernie figurine on my filing cabinet. Plus, a few other small knick-knacks like my fish-shaped stress-ball. Nothing that would raise any eyebrows.

Oh wait, there is the disco ball hanging in my window. Hardly anyone ever mentions though — I guess it’s not so exciting without the spotlight.

UPDATE:

I know you all believe every word I write, but I felt compelled to provide visual proof.

Disco Ball.


The toys really should come out and be cleaned. I have abandoned them. Look at how sad they look!


I didn’t write about this because most people find it creepy. It’s a carnival prize from pre-war Europe. It was a gift — and yeah, I liked it!