The Think Room

I can't believe it is already week 9. Wow, how the first two months have flown by! 

For my amusing story of the week, I am going to share something that I was a little too embarrassed about to write about in a previous blog. Here at Olson, the desks are positioned in a manner that promotes community. In other words, church table style and out in the open; you can't help but get to know your neighbors! One of the senior account executives sits right across from me, so we share a desk space of sorts. Aside from “accidentally” kicking me under the desk from time to time, he is not a bad work neighbor. In fact, I knew we’d get along after first arriving at my desk nine weeks ago to find a giant set of Hulk fists on top of our shared desk space, and they make Hulk noises if you punch something with them.

Well, I found this pretty humorous, not simply because this was a random piece of decoration to be greeted by, but more so because upon moving into my house, I discovered that a set of these had been left by the previous tenant. Needless to say, I asked him to make room for my fists. About a month and a half went by, and I still had not remembered to bring them in. He was convinced they did not exist. The thought of having them randomly appear one day made me even more amused.

One fine summer morning, the day had come. I brought in my Hulk fists and anxiously awaited his reaction, feeling like a little kid about to pull a prank. By the time he entered the office and was on his way to his desk, I was just returning to my work space with my breakfast from the agency’s Café. Coincidently I found myself on his heels. We were just out of sight of the green fists when three things happened. First, he decided to detour to the coffee station. Second, I realized I was walking too closely behind him to anticipate his stopping. Third, he turned on his heels and my cereal took the brunt of the motion. The expression on his face said, “Wow, you were following me really closely…” This was even more awkward, because he did not know why I was following so closely behind him. I simply wanted to see his reaction, and who could blame me? When he returned to his desk, coffee in hand, he discovered the fists. It was worth it, spilled milk and all.

On a completely different and more serious note, every once in a while in life, you get an opportunity that stretches you, challenges you, causes you to become humble, but also brings you the excitement of knowing that you are developing a skill set that can be used in the future for many kinds of experiences. Much like the stretching of a muscle, so is the testing of your ability in situations that are new to you. This is what I am experiencing here. Tip of the week: Enjoy the stretching. Rather than complaining about your challenges, think of what they are preparing you for.