Tuesday, September 18, 2012

When You Live At Work...

Just 14 hours ago, I was sitting at the same exact spot as I am now. Typing away at the same keyboard, with the same light shining into my eyes and stripping my vision, I wonder when does the cycle end? Vacation days do not end the monotony, they only cause a brief hiccup in the matrix of a 9 to 5. For me, though, it's technically a 10:30 ish to 7ish type of job. 7.5 hours of work. Unpaid lunch. Great health benefits. Tons of vacation time. And the things that are not in our contract, but come with the job is an understanding and great boss/friend, lots of hugs from the little ones, and the satisfication of knowing (pretending) we're making a difference in the lives of our youth.

I don't hate my job. I just hate that I couldn't wear heels if I wanted to. I hate that I am expected to be back at the same spot every day; day after day after day. Weekends excluded, of course.

Living at work, means that your desk feels  more like home than your comfy couch or the down comforter on your bed that you spent way too much on. My desk is not only a workspace, but an inside look into my life. And so, I present to you, all of the things that I keep inside my desk:

1. endless supply of green tea
2. wasabi peas
3. an Ipad charger,
4. a usb charger (for the Android and Kindle!)
5. splenda
6. honey
7. sugar in the raw
8. a can of  Healthy Choice soup
9. 2 packs of Orbit gum
10. 1 pack of Stride gum
11. Kit Kat bar
12.  a sponge
13. craisins and sliced honey roasted almonds for my salad
14. hair elastics
15. bobby pins
16. lots of glitter (my supply, not for children)
17. iridescent gold and silver acrylic paint
18. glitter glue in bronze, gold, and silver
19. A crown stamp
20. stamp pads (gold and orange)
21. a pint sized filled water bottle
22.  a flat iron (don't ask)
23. a picture of Victor and Me
24. A sketchpad
25. a journal
26. a quote from Rob Bell, "Master teachers create dissonance."

27. and finally my newest addition to the desk area, a quote from Ira Glass that has kept me pushing. Despiter living at work and growing restless because nothing seems to be getting profoundly better, I know that I must stay.

"For the first couple of years, you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, but it's not. A lot of people never get past this phase; they quit. If you are just starting out or are still in this phase, you gotta know that it's normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work [...] It's only by going thorough a volume of work that you will close the gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions."




So, if I am staying here, I might as well make myself comfortable. What's on your desk?

8 comments:

  1. I personally love working from home on the whole. Occasionally I'll have a day when I go stir crazy but thats very rare. I lie the freedom that comes with being your own boss but have to remember to be strict with myself so I get everything done.

    http://www.rafflesbizarre.blogspot.com

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  2. Since I've been there all of three days my desk contains...

    A quote that says "practice over product; anything you make here is for you and no one else"-Kristen Ramaseur

    A guitar humidifier

    A book about music therapy with teens and another songs of the soul: therapeutic voice work

    A handmade journal

    A dirty spoon from lunch

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  3. I really enjoyed this post. I'm social worker, pretty new to my profession. Still trying to find where I fit and figuring out if I'm really cut out for the work. My feelings about the work I do vary greatly at times...sometimes I love it, other times I feel discouraged, burnt out, like I'm not really making a difference. I liked the quote shared at the end of the post. It is very encouraging and feels like something I needed to hear right now. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. My desk doesn't have enough after reading this post!

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  5. @Raffles Bizarre I always think that people who work from home are actually the most organized and goal orientated. It takes serious discipline to get up and work each day from home. Kudos to you.

    @Kris I like that quote and love that you quote yourself. =)

    @jlcortes You're welcome for sharing. It's so hard to find success when you're trying to change the world. At the end of my week, I like to take time to congratulate myself for the work I've done. Even if it's something as small as, "Made child X laugh after she had a bad day." You're doing great work!

    @Kayta: Add to your desk! I'm one of those people who likes to feel at home while I'm working. I need to see things that I love.

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