On a Thursday of my second week of returning to office, I met Nelly from our department, as she seated herself in a cubicle in the front row across the aisle. Greeting without a hug, we exchanged information. Nelly is a mother of three girls, the youngest of whom must be over two years old by now. The other two are in elementary school. I remember that she once wished that she could work from home to reduce the childcare or afterschool expenses, which amount to more than 2000 dollars a month.
But then the pandemic broke out, giving her and most of us a welcome chance to work from home. I would expect her to lament, as I did, over the company’s decision to end it. She lives in a city about an hour drive away via a toll road. But surprisingly she told me that after being confined at home for so long, with overwhelming house chores and daily care of kids, she couldn’t wait to come back to the office for a getaway.
Her words resonated within me, as I flashbacked to the early days of raising my daughter decades ago. I remember many hectic mornings after feeding the baby, changing the diaper, or sending her to the kindergarten in the later year, I was left with little time for my own breakfast. Grabbing anything on the run, I raced on a bike, pedaling hard along a campus shortcut, with one hand on the handle and the other a bun to finish. Being a teacher at the time, the first thing I did as soon as I entered the classroom was sit on a chair before collecting myself together for the class. Teaching four classes in a morning was tiring, but the rest continuous 10 or 12 hours with the baby at home was more taxing.
So in a way, coming to office and work creates variations, a respite from our day-to-day house work. While it could be an escape, working at office is assumably more productive. Though productivity is something an owner may concern, a workplace is where we can meet people. A moment of water-cooler in the kitchen could possibly bring serendipity and intimacy, and that is something we are less likely to experience if we work from home. Intrinsic to most human beings or embedded in our DNAs are the inclinations and needs to gather together, to socialize, and to be connected, not just virtually but physically. So let’s embrace the return to office with a smile.
The bird, perched on a stick above the pond full of dirty bubbles, was motionless for minutes. Then in a split second, it plunged into the water, and snapped a fish.
回复 '7grizzly' 的评论 : Thank you, my friend, for reading and comment. Apart from what I gain from reading your writing (such as choice of words, structure, etc.), I learn from your comments too, like "anchor our lives" here and "not equally endowed" there:)) I am reading two or three magazines concurrently, The Economist and Time, and the distance between you and me can be represented in the two magazines:))
We were just lucky that day to catch that moment. He said that the bird, which I saw the first time, belongs to blue heron family. We will see if he is right or you are right:))
Living in CA, almost every parent will have the issue of picking up the child after school, if the school is not within the walking distance. I am done, and you have two more years to go before you have to start teaching him to drive:).
I shall write more about my teaching career in China, and I am sure you will have something to relay. Thank you, my friend, for always being there!
7grizzly 发表评论于
We all remember the days when kids anchored our lives. I had (and loved) to
leave work to pick him up, to attend his events, and to supper with him. It felt
great to not have to multitask.
The bird might not be a heron but your pictures captured its striking perfectly.
Very impressive.
Teaching must have been a great experience for you. I taught a computer security
course for one semester and remembered the growth it forced on me. I should
write about it. Thanks for the inspiration.
Enjoy returning to office.
暖冬cool夏 发表评论于
回复 '魏薇' 的评论 : Thanks, Weiwei, for your input. You are right that people are inherently different, and the society needs rules and laws to manage them. Thus there is no 100% freedom:))
To some employees, who have constant meetings and interruptions at office, it is possible that working from home is more efficient. Most people like working from home for the fact that it saves commute time and that they are more flexible.
The word "exceed" definitely works here, and thanks for your choice of word, though the emphasis of the word "exceed" and "amount to" is slightly different.
Thanks again for your reading and comment. Happy June!
魏薇 发表评论于
What a coincident! I listened radio yesterday. There was a talk show on returning back to offices. From a survey, there are only 18% of office people want to go back to office, most still prefer working at home. I had a conversation with a friend of mine on this. I said I think working in office means more efficiency. She said” No. I don't think so!” at home, I can focus on my work. In office, people want to socialize with others, so do I.” any way, every people is differnt and has their own thought,that's why the society need rules, laws, acts to fit the willingness of majority.
how do you think use "exceed."instead of "amount to more than "?
