Office Slacker

You know how at every office there is that employee who doesn’t participate in pot lucks, parties, group challenges, fundraisers, gift exchanges, etc.? And it’s annoying.

That’s me.

It’s not that I don’t want to join in on all the positivism and morale boosting activities.

I just suck at them. I don’t have time.
It’s such a poor excuse, because everyone else is busy too. They have homes and kids and lives outside of the job. But it just doesn’t work for me.

It’s Nurses’ Week and all week I have been getting clever gifts and treats. It’s the sweetest thing. And for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been contemplating what I could give to the other nurses. And I’ve got nothing. I’m not clever or creative. And I can’t figure anything out, so I put it to the side and swear to think about it later because I’ve got other pressing things to get to---but then I never do. Same for Christmas, National Doctor’s week, birthdays--you name it. I’m sure to fail.

The other boundary is I’ll typically find out we’re having a celebration or potluck 1-2 days before it happens. Yes, I work in Storm Lake where there are resources a plenty for these types of events. However I live in Lytton, where there resources a-zero. I leave work at 5 and have to have my kids picked up by 5:30. And it’s a 20-25 minute drive to the daycare. So I have 5-10 minutes maybe to get to the store, park, get in, get what I need, check out, load the car, and get out of town. I also spend the entirety of my lunch hour working out—there is barely time to get food or eat. Actually there really isn’t. I grab something super-fast and eat back at work while I work.

I do sometimes order groceries online, but as in yesterday’s case, I found out about the potluck after I had already placed my order. Typical.

Then there is the time crunch barrier in the evenings. Play with the kids, make supper, serve supper, eat supper, clean up supper, take baths, do schoolwork, and get ready for bed—all in a time span of about 2 hours -- and that’s if we have NOTHING else going on. There is time for very little else.

But here’s the real sucker punch. My coworkers are awesome. They continually invite me, ask me, check with me, include me, surprise me, and shower me with gifts. Even when I don’t reciprocate.

I’m fairly certain the best of intentions count for something, so I’ll be grateful for that. And count myself blessed that I work with such kind, caring, understanding souls.

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