Purging the Work Brain

I just drove home from an extra long day at work, the 'Change Engine Oil Soon' message on my car's console nagging me every time I start the engine.  And I silently reply, "Yeah yeah. Soon, soon, soon". The boy - the Beau - the Ball Cap is having a beer and catching something to eat with a buddy prior to his curling game tonight so I picked up a $5 Chicken Alfredo flatbread pizza from Thrifty's for a quick "it's all about me" dinner. On the drive home, a friend texted me news of her new neighbour and lets just say - Ugh! That's going to be awkward. I came straight in the house and started the oven to heat up, poured a glass of wine, turned on the gas fireplace and plopped down in the chair next to it - eager for the heat to warm up my icy fingers and toes. 

And all the while I was racing home I thought - I need to write. Something. There are myriad of thoughts pinging around in my brain and I felt the need to EXPRESS something. To someone. About...well...

I'm not sure. 

So perhaps this tiny epistle will be a random house cleaning of what's in my brain at the moment. Pardon me if I cover you in dust while I pitch out thoughts like old shirts and dresses in the back of my closet. 

I suppose the scattered thoughts are reflective of my day. My job is often rife with people calling, emailing, showing up at my desk and asking, demanding, begging for my help, opinion, resources. Going into work with a plan - a to-do list - is a recipe for disaster so I have given up that orderly pursuit. I have learned to pivot, sideline, juggle, and discard duties like a mad Japanese Teppanyaki Chef. (Have I employed enough hyperbole yet?) It's hard to decompress or distract myself after one of those days. But you see - even in writing this much, I've reminded myself of something terribly important.  

My emergency chocolate stash at work is empty!  Excuse me while I grab some emergency chocolate from my cupboard.

Ah...there we go.

I suppose all my thoughts regarding today could be categorized into people groups. Those people I like and those that I could do without. I do like to promote the "love your neighbour" and "be kind because everyone is fighting a battle unseen" kind of philosophy. And I really do believe that. But then there are those certain types of people that make you forget all that love and compassion stuff and make you wish you could deliver a clean uppercut that would result in a TKO right there on the spot. Sigh! I guess I spend a lot of my day trying to figure people out and why they act the way they do. Why are people lazy? Mean? Angry? Dismissive? Condescending? Punitive? Irresponsible? Rude? Disrespectful? Stupid? (Yes Granny - I know it's not nice to call people stupid). 

Hmmm...venting, I am. Well, no - discarding (refer to the closet cleaning reference above). 

And...I did infer there were other people groups. Those people who are funny. Smart. Problem Solvers. Supportive. Hardworking. Tenacious. Creative. Inspiring. Uplifting. Brave. Honest. I like those people. I like to surround myself with those people. I like to be one of those people. I'm grateful for those people. The ones who live full out. The ones who tap dance as hard as I do on a daily basis. 

So - I guess - what I really wanted to say tonight was more of a housecleaning. Tossing out the experiences and people that make you wonder what the world is coming to in order to make room for the encounters and superstars who make you thankful that there is always those who make this life worth living - that make you laugh. I LOVE those people. 

Maybe another day I'll write something more inspiring about those unfortunates who endeavour to make everyone around them as unhappy as they are, making you pay for their self-induced misery, but for today - I'm happy to have a belly full of Chicken Alfredo pizza, a glass of wine, and a partial episode of 'This is Us' under my belt. I feel better. 


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