I just read in the most horrible book, which will remain unnamed…,a quote. This is the solitary passage of writing that is worth taking the effort/time to read of the entire work. I will paraphrase. It asks:
“Why do people move? The answer is simple as well as universal. They move in search of a better life”.
I recently moved. Not from my home (surprising since I packed up my belongings and moved 6 times with in the past two years). I have lived in my mothers house, resided in an old farm house, lived in a renovated loft, a friends apartment, my fathers apartment, with 2 ½ crazy roommates and currently reside in a beautiful Harlem studio. But that is a whole other story.
I recently moved offices. I went from a larger, stuffy, mahogany and forest green colored office spotted with ecru colored cubicles. Even the color “ecru” does not hide the retched nature of people boxes. I think who ever invented cubicles should in a very “Twilight Zone” like manner be forces to live the remainder of his days (it was a man…we all know it was) in a city of cubicles. Back to the office, it was 3 floors, had a garage and was located in the mall capital of a New York City Suburb. Donald Trump had moved in while my sanity moved out. Everything that is wrong with America can be found in this town. Image Image Image surrounded by a demographic of both Walmart shoppers and Neiman Marcus hounds. And yes I did myself give into Walmart more than I would care to admit but I was always aware of the impact and influence of it’s presence.
I became the center of this somewhat dysfunctional large family of lawyers, HR personal (I don’t think the word person should even be used remotely relating to HR), cleaning folks and a president. I found the people I was drawn to (few and far between but ranged from the interns to the president).
So where did I go?
I moved to an office in midtown Manhattan. My commute changed from 1 hour to 20 minutes. I now work for a company of 15 people in an office with no cubicles. Systems are different. I get in, in the morning. I make a jumbo cup of coffee. Talk to the people in the office. Do a circle around the loft and smile.
First Day. Shocker! Only way to put it. I was scared. I was use to the metro north, to taking the train and sitting with lots of space around me and the company of one of my best friends. Then bam I was taking the very loud, very crowded subway standing up. I tried to figure out how to get the wires of my new ipod not tangled in the handles of my purse or in the way of my Starbucks. All this occurred while speeding underneath the concrete city. I got out of the subway 20 minutes later and there I was. “Toto I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore”. No Suburbia only city. Concrete blocks lining my way like soldiers on either end of my path to my office. I had walked these streets hundreds of times, I knew the area well, why did it feel different? It was during the day and this was my new home.
Was I dressed ok? I am a pretty confident gal. I feel comfortable at pubs and the opera as much as eating alone in a restaurant or sitting in a park. But there was a different air. Daylight….not a weekend…..daylight in New York.
I walked into my office. Wood floors (trouble with my heels) walls being knocked down. People were just laying about, talking having coffee. Work Hard Play Hard oozed through the pipelines and tin ceilings of my new home.
I was scared. I might have found a girl even more obsessed with herself than I. I sat down at my new desk and the computer played a montage of model posses of the previous face of the company. At least I make sure I have friends in my pictures so it doesn’t look like I am as narcissistic as I truly am. She just put it out there. Also no instructions, no friends, starting at square one…it was scary.
My new boss is amazing. He is able to stay positive, energetic, personable and organized. He can fix everything from account management issues to broken chairs. He rocks.
Dogs roam free around my new office. I get 25 phone calls oppose to 425. I still am in the center. I still like finding out what is going on in all aspects. I still am me just in new locale.
Lucky Girl. I am a lucky girl. I left a place where I adored quite a few spectacular people and moved to a city with the potential to house a few more.
I don’t really miss anything from my old life of one week ago. I am settling in with my new self. My New York Casu-gal self. OK the Casual doesn’t really agree with me but I make it work.
The new family is as dysfunctional as the old one. But I wouldn’t feel at home if they weren’t.
People take a plunge, jump and try new things in hopes of a better life. My life has been pretty good thus far. We’ll see where it goes from here. Either way I am “Moving on up” or in this case down..town.
Your Girl,
Lucky
No comments:
Post a Comment