There is always a
level of cognitive dissonance that occurs during a day.
A moment where you
are not sure which way is the right
way and which way is the wrong way.
Keeps us humans on our toes I am guessing.
My moment occurs most
days at lunch (and no not because I am debating whether or not to grab a
hamburger or a salad. It occurs as I throw myself in line for the yummy and
healthy stir fry bar we have at work).
(Sometimes I wish I
could name what company I work for as I would be a great marketer for them.
They do so many things I love: brand gym bags, give me nice raincoats on a
rainy day to keep, give whole company mini I pads on Valentines
Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
But above and beyond
all that each and every day for a very low price part of the cafeterias is a
stir fry bar. Everything cut up and diced, every veggie and meat under the sun, pasta,
brown rice, noodles, lots of sauces, onions, garlic, peanuts-all topping of the
world it seems. Much better than an ice-cream bar.
(If you have not gotten
the picture yet-I am very, very spoiled and I work for a great place). Clearly in Pharmaceuticals.
Well every day for
the last 8 yrs I have a couple of important decisions to make:
1-Do I stand in a
longer line or get a quick salad bar or sandwich or main meal-or do I stand in
the longer stir fry line?
2-If I do stand in
long line do I take out my iPhone and work (or read a blog or two to entertain
myself!) or do I chat?
Well it’s usually a
50-50% deal depending on how big my craving is for my chicken/veggies with brown
rice peanut/ hot sauce is and also who is standing in line with me at that
moment. It is a defining moment.
All Management have
IPhones and we are mostly all glued to them, .. All non-management do not. So it
makes for an interesting mix. An interesting way to look and analyze what
people do with their lunch times. I have a big problem with always being
connected-I think is rude, obnoxious and not living in the present in most
situations. On the other hand 15 mins just looking at tofu being cooked is
plain boring and I could be doing emails that let me leave to get home to my
family earlier at the end of the day.
See where the
cognitive dissonance comes in here?
But this boring story
gets better. Let’s talk about THE STIR FRY WOMAN NOW.
She loves her job.
Everyday. She is smiling, dancing, and chatting-even flirting with all the
adorably cute pharmaceutical guys. I would not even doubt it if one day she
starts flirting with me. She is filled to the brim with happiness and joy each
and every day. It is a spectacle to watch. Sometimes when I decide to not do
IPhone I just watch her –part in awe and part wonder and partly she annoys
me.
Don’t super happy
happy people ever annoy you?
Anyways a few weeks
ago I head her telling her client in line about her vacation and then she said:
(in French of course)
“I totally and utterly relaxed on my two week
vacation. The first few days I could not disconnect from work at all. It was on
my mind all the time-but when I finally did and forgot all the stress I was
able to have an amazing time”.
And as ashamed as I
think we all felt giggles began to emerge from the lineup. Supressed laughter
almost. It was awful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We must be a bunch of mean mean
people who think we are above the world!!! I was so mad at myself but literally
a little giggle escaped my mouth.I wanted to take it back.
We were all thinking (but
not saying the same damn thing) ” How can you be stressed by making stir frys
for us lovely people 2 hours a day?? Why is this always on your mind during
vacation???? Why oh why? What is to disconnect from in frying up meat? Where is the stress of it?
Thank goodness the
sweet lady did not see that in our heads we were kind of (and I am ashamed ok!)
making fun of herL She just thought that for some reason we were also smiling
that day and in good moods and also enjoying the moment. She was thrilled to
have everyone’s attention all at the same time.
(yes yes I know bitches, idiots, mean mean mean..but I promised to tell truth on blog right? Keep it real???)
And after I left that
day-it stayed with me for a good long while. I thought of how happy she is and
how peaceful and how wound up I am often. I thought of the way that she loves
her job and the way I love mine, but how she dances and smiles at hers and I
secretly adore mine often while running around feeling that the world falls on
my shoulders. I thought of her and our similarities and our differences and I made
a promise to myself.
To always appreciate
the diversity of the world. The diversity of woman. And how each one of us
brings something pure and beautiful to this world.
I thought of how for
each one of us life is different and unique and how stress affects us all in
different ways. How we each need out own escapes and how we each achieve
happiness in different ways. How we each do in life what fundamentally is right
for us. And we should be proud of that!
And I vowed to myself
the next time I waited in line at the stir fry line I would not bring my phone.
I would connect with the goodness around me and my stir fry lady. And I did and
it was wonderful. She is a sweetie and a super interesting lady. Far more interesting than my emails.
And the next time
after that I stood in line I connected with my work and that was equally as
wonderful.I felt fulfilled and alert and savvy.
We get to be different things at different times in
our life. That is the trick isn’t it? I get to have two sides of me-each different yet each special.
To me life is a
series of cognitive dissonances, paradoxes and getting it both right and wrong
on most days of the week.
And always aiming for
our own unique and particular shade of right.
PS-Today is popular
pasta day at stir-fry bar. Yummy! Since we all wear jeans on Friday it is even
more of party there in line. I love my careerJ