TheBanyanTree: I'm So Hot

[mg]

I work in a serious cube farm; I changed jobs a little over a year ago.  I
left a warm and wonderful group who kept me entertained with their humor for
several years.  They fostered in me a great appreciation for the people I
sometimes feel like I spend more time with than my family.  When I first got
to this new job I found some really great opportunities for growth,
opportunities that were the sole reason I left.  If I were rich and worked
for fun, I'd have never left the other job.  At first it seemed so foreign
for there to be so many people I didn't know personally but as time has gone
on, I've come to know quite a few of them on a deeper level personally but
even more importantly, they have a deep appreciation for the skills I've
learned not to mention the life and people experience I bring to this task.
You might be asking, what really grand thing is she going to every day?!?

Clinical research.  I collect, scrutinize and garner revisions for
regulatory documents so that whatever site it is can be approved for drug
and begin medical research.  It sounds less exciting than it is, I
promise!!  =>  I'm loving it and it is in no small part due to the people I
work with.  It has become crystal clear to me that anyone can make a mistake
and it is best to be gracious because I'm probably next.  There is no one in
that office I feel better than or superior to and I like it that way.  I
joke with them (but it ain't a joke!!) that I am the original rah-rah, go
team! girl.  I appreciate my team members and co-workers.

The people at my old job don't miss me much, though.  Nope.  Might be
because I show up every Saturday at 0730 to help with the insurance crap,
feel like part of the gang, appeal some declined medical claims, get hugs
from many, enter copious amounts of new insurance and see the smiling faces
I missed so damned much for the year I was gone.  It's the best part of my
Saturday, I love doing it and wouldn't give it up for anything.

Life is pretty decent.

Maria
On Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 9:44 AM, Julie Anna Teague <jateague at indiana.edu>
wrote:

> Quoting "Margaret R. Kramer" <margaret.kramer at polarispublications.com>:
>
> I LOVE juicy gossip at my work.  I work in a Dilbert-like environment,
>> cubes
>> filled smart people, self-promotion, and continual cat fights.
>>
>
> Wow.  I have to say I'm so grateful I work where I do.  I, too, work in an
> environment of cubes and office spaces filled with very smart people.  But
> they are also the kindest, most caring group of people I could ever hope to
> spend eight hours a day with.  We tease each other and joke around
> mercilessly--John is the butt of the lecherous old man jokes (no, he would
> never, ever step over the line or has ever made any woman at work feel
> uncomfortable--he's just a very funny guy), Mark gets the short jokes, Grant
> fields the nerd jokes, I get no end of "deer in the headlights" jokes, Ethan
> is as tall and skinny as the day is long, Wayne is a huge eater and we tease
> him about getting out of his way when we have food at work--but we are
> always kind to each other and we would never aim to hurt anyone's feelings
> or make a joke that was cutting or cruel.  We seek harmony as a way of
> living here together for the larger part of our days.
>
> Even in the extended office area of about 40 other men and women, we are
> all friends, or at least tolerant of each other's idiosyncracies, and I've
> never heard anyone say an unkind word about another co-worker.  We might go
> home and complain to our significant others from time to time about
> something or someone who irritated us that day.  Every one of us gets on
> someone's nerves at some point or other in such constant close contact.  But
> in the office, we are kind and always supportive.  If we knew someone was
> hot for a date, we'd probably try to fix them up with one.  If someone wears
> something unbecoming, well, we just don't comment on each other's dress
> unless we have something nice to say.  None of us makes good choices every
> day.  We have all level of jobs here, some technical, some secretarial, so
> not everyone can afford to dress nicely all the time.  Most of us have
> differing ideas about what looks nice.  We are all different ages.  Some of
> us have life histories or health issues that make us skinny, plump,
> overweight, balding, pimply, or otherwise less than perfect.  One of the
> most beautiful and kind women in our office is very overweight. She's had a
> difficult life.  No one judges her by the size of her ass.  When she
> expressed a desire to try and make some changes for her health, several of
> us have asked her to walk with us, have shared exercise videos, have told
> her that if she needs new recipes, encouragement, a healthy lunch partner,
> we're here for her.  We want her to succeed.
>
> I'm a 40-something, pre-menopausal woman, and I work with several women at
> the same stage of life.  We pretty much all go through it and for some of
> us, it's a difficult transition, what with our bodies in turmoil, and our
> sense of ourselves changing, and societal expectations reminding us that we
> should just disappear if we can't be beautiful and young.  I'm fortunate in
> that I have a life partner, but if I didn't, I suppose I'd be looking.  That
> has less to do with menopause than just the natural human desire for love
> and companionship, especially into our middle and older years.  We all want
> someone to be there for us.  We all have fears that are sometimes hard to
> understand or explain even to ourselves, and which play out in our actions.
>  It's never easy to meet people, and it's a total bitch to meet someone when
> you're over 40.  Especially when you feel like people are laughing at you
> because you are aging, because you aren't fashionable, because your ass is
> bigger than it was when you were 16, because you are tired from raising kids
> and working, or even because you have the audacity to look for love at that
> age.
>
> Sorry if this sounds contrarian, but I just wanted to provide an
> alternative view of office life.  I'm pretty tired of working after holding
> a demanding technical job for twenty-five years.  But since I have to keep
> body and soul together through gainful employment, it is a great joy to me
> that the people I work with are wonderful, non-judgemental people.  One of
> my personal missions in life is to be non-judgmental.  My motto has always
> been, "There but by the grace of God go I."  It has served me well.
>
> Julie
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