When I am at work I take all the good little things I can. Most of what I do is boring and numbing so I take all the little things that are positive and go with them. These "little things", for lack of a better word or phrase (I blame the numbing) can be just about anything that can appear through my work day. A conversation with a friend over e-mail or chat. A fun website or article. An actual exciting, meaingful project at work (they happen occasionally), a look out the window or a brief break to go outside and walk.
Of course, if these "little things" go wrong, it can have a horrible affect on the rest of the work day. It isn't good, because then I have to rely on work to provide me substance to get me through the rest of the day, and that could go terribly!
Today I had one of those "little things" go wrong. I got to work this morning and to my horror they were cutting down trees from the lot that has been vacant across the street from our building. No one has ever built on the lot since the trees they were cutting down were huge. I watched in silent mourning as each tree fell one by one this morning and into the early afternoon. I went to lunch with the family (Happy Birthday Dad!) and came back and the job was finished. All the trees were completely gone. Now, when I look out the window all I see is the blank concrete and cars rushing by on Highway 55 instead of old oak trees swaying in the wind. Oh, and I'm sure it will look slightly better once the building is built and the landscaping is done...but then I just get to look at another bland office building with its rigorous landscaping.
I've always been vanilla on deforestation, and I realize that this is not an adequate example, but I've never really had first hand experience with it. I've never had a nice area that I enjoyed ripped away from me, without consultation, and built into an office park. I was silently upset about this all day at work and wasn't really sure how to bring it up to my co-workers. Just a few minutes ago, my boss, who always seems to have something profound to say, came and leaned against my desk. He nodded across the street and said "I wish I had bought that land, just so I could always see the woods. It's sad." He shook his head, and without even awaiting a response from me, he left.
Somehow it made me feel better that he felt the same way.
I guess I never realized that I 'sweated' the small stuff. I think, in a lot of ways I don't, but at work they become bigger, just because everything becomes micro here. Maybe I should read that book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" sometime.
I wonder if they have a corporate version.
R.I.P Woods Across the Street. You will be missed.
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2 comments:
At least you didn't live in those trees like all the birds and squirrels. Also, your brain isn't the size of a peanut. You're doing infinatly better than your furry, homeless, dumb friends across the street.
I know! That was part of the reason I was sad...but then I remembered there are other woods near by. Hopefully they are smart enough to figure out to go there.
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