Happy birthday to Wordwitch! Your birthday this year is so auspicious, hundreds of thousands of people are getting married today. Apparently, it's a very powerful day for those who believe in numerology. Or slot machines. Anyway, all good wishes to people getting married, believing in numerology, or playing the slots today. But even better good (huh?) wishes to you; hopefully Hawkins and Gomez managed to work up a special day for you.
As she often does, Wordwitch brings up a good point. Those of us who work full-time outside of the home spend A LOT OF DAMN TIME at work. Having cordial relationships with your coworkers is quite pleasant, particularly if you do something that involves hours spent staring at a computer screen or pile of papers and doesn't require a lot of face-to-face interaction. Being cordial does not take a lot of effort (well, at least I don't think it does), and everyone HAS a birthday; it's not that hard to remember when someone's is, and how (or if, for all you Jehovah's Witnesses out there) they might like it to be recognized.
Having friendly relationships with your coworkers is even nicer. I don't know about you, but I like to know all kinds of things about my coworkers: where they commute from, where they hail from originally, what they studied in school (I find that particularly fascinating: not only what they studied, but how they ended up in the current job if it's not something immediately related to what they studied), if they watch TV and what shows they like, if they enjoy reading and what sort of books they like, etc. It turns out that I'm far more social than I would have thought, had you asked me back when I was in high school wearing my black trench coat. Or maybe I'm just practical. I'm spending at least forty hours a week working in close proximity to these people, and I like my workplaces harmonious, thanks.
I've had both "cordial" and "friendly" workplaces (shoot, even when I had that temp job back in February, I ended up in a department full of people who watched Lost and 24, and those are great icebreakers right there) and haven't often realized that I've been fortunate to have such. Thanks for reminding me. May your office wise up and get cordial. If they don't, send them to me for lessons.
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2 comments:
You brought such a smile to my face today! Thanks, I needed that. Specialy after my boss, the weasel, had to tell me all about his weekend before even asking about mine. And then he comments on everything BUT the "it was my birthday on Saturday" before he acknowledges it....yeesh. So, thanks!!
Wordwitch
Wordwitch also shares a special day with our now 5-year old (a little b-day moment on the blog). It's always a very cool thought for me to know that there is a special someone many miles away sharing in the moment.
But the point about the workplace (and Wordwitch's response) is well taken. I have been fortunate enough to have started at a company where the entire creative force (2 writers, the director, and myself) all share mid- to late-June birthdays. What are the odds? So verbal exchanges, treats, and lunches were the rule of the month.
Very important to have these office pleasantries. And very sad that a particular birthday girl doesn't get to experience a bit more unselfish office behavior.
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