THE USUAL SUSPECTS – OFFICE EDITION

The know it all, the serious one, the chic with the attitude (yes, it’s almost always a chic), the friendly one who says hi to everyone every single day, the sarcastic one who’s so sarcastic you can’t really tell when they are and when they aren't, the smooth one (yes, its almost always a dude), the annoying one who has a thing for bugging people, and everything in between. Everyone who works in an office knows that these characters NEVER miss out in any setting. And that, is what makes office life so interesting. So, let’s delve right into these characters.

In every place that I have worked (and they’re not many) I have always come across such characters. Let’s start with the know-it-all. The thing about this kind of person is that they started their persona way back in school so it’s a habit they can’t quite ditch. (It’s one thing to know everything and it’s another to think you know everything, so if you fall in this category then make sure you actually DO know everything.) This is the kind of person who never and I mean NEVER misses a chance to give their input, opinion, knowledge, you name it. Good thing about them is that they almost always have an answer to everything, but sometimes their answers are not always practical. And they can be very annoying. You can’t live with them sometimes, but you also can’t live without them.

The one with the attitude… this one has issues. I don’t know how else to explain it because, why would you give someone a look that could kill them if your eyes were a weapon? Unfortunately this is almost always a lady, though I have met guys with this kind of attitude as well. This one has a rude comment ready each time and when they don’t, the dagger look is enough. Avoid this person at all costs if you’re one of those people who get easily offended. Trust me they can bring out the bad in you, mess up your good mood and you could easily become as bitter as they are. If you’re one of those people with a heart bigger than the open skies, take time to find out what their problem is and turn their frown into a smile.

The serious one. Now, this is one person whom I don’t get. I can be serious and I can be very unserious and bubbly and all that. The latter sometimes wears me out and I need time to recover, but that’s beside the point. I honestly don’t get people who are so serious all the time. When do you laugh, play, let loose, have fun? No seriously, when? My take is that this person always has something they need to do and therefore no time to stop and chitchat with the rest.

The ever jolly, friendly one. Now this is one of those people who brighten up your day regardless of who you are. They always have a huge smile to give to anyone they come across, always in a good mood, have so much energy all the time (unless they’re sick), they are the kind of people who could hug your blues away. I love these people, but I wonder, don’t they ever get tired of smiling? Sometimes these kind of people find it very hard to focus and disrupt others who are busy focusing on their work. These guys are usually loud almost all the time. You just want to shush them sometimes or send them to a naughty corner :-)

The annoying guy. This is the kind who’s annoying not just because you think so, but because everyone thinks so and most importantly because they are. The kind who would interrupt a conversation without caring, the one who feels they have to talk to everyone, the one who has so much to say yet they end up saying so little, the one who would be the first to die in a movie just because they’re annoying. The one who can sour up your mood just from getting a glimpse of them, the one who’s always looking for attention... the annoying one.

In comes the sarcastic one. Now, I have friends like these and trust me, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve known them sarcasm just oozes out of their mouths and you’re a target. It’s a way of life for them really. Woe to you if you’re the target of their sarcasm. If you’re one of those bubbly ones or are not really keen on what they’re saying, you could completely miss their sarcastic comments towards you. They are not the nicest sometimes but they’re pretty cool people. Plus, you may never get to know that they’re not nice.

Another character is the quiet one. You know, the one who just observes people and makes up their own conclusions. Goodness knows what they’re thinking and why. Wouldn't it be easier just to ask and get an answer or get to know someone? I don’t think you would ever want to know what goes through their heads. It could be good but it could also be bad. And by the way most of the time they won’t share what they’re thinking in the first place. This kind of person can be so closed up and secluded you don’t get to know their second name.

There's the smooth dude who hits on anyone and everyone in the office. Yes, its almost always a dude. This one can charm the daylights out of you and if you fall prey to them, lets just say bitter wont even begin to describe how you'll end up. It doesn't matter what they say and how they say it or if they appear to be sincere... stay away from them. Yes they may be very good looking, but still. In this category is also the one who thinks they can hit on every lady in the office and yet they don't even have the charm or the looks to pull it off. they make you go, "Dude seriously?? Can you do what brought you to this office?" (As you  seriously roll your eyes). This one can bring out the attitude in anyone. 

One last one for the purposes of not turning this into a novel, is the oblivious or clueless one. This is one of those people who lives in their own world. Yes they’re in the office, but for some reason things just pass them by. They make you ask questions like, “Do you work here, or is it just your 3D image that comes to work?” I guess it’s just not worth it to keep up with other things that are not directly related to their work. I've interacted with characters like this some of who are not really that weird and some who are way up there on the weird scale. It could go either way when it comes to such characters.

If you don’t fall in any of these categories, and you probably do even though you won’t admit it, then you’re one of those who’s everything in between. You could be any of the above characters on different days and that’s alright. You like to switch things up deliberately or otherwise. So where do you lie? Be honest with yourself and know that ALL the characters I’ve talked about are very important and are needed to make office life exciting. So much so that I had to write about it. So which category do I fall into? Why don’t you tell me? :-) 

THE HURT BEFORE THE HEALING

She stood staring at his lifeless body, at a loss for words. Not knowing what to do or say, who to turn to or where to run to. She suddenly felt weak and all the strength she had was abruptly sucked out of her. Then the tears came. The unending flood of tears that she knew she would cry for a long time to come.

Her close friend was by her side holding on to her so that she wouldn’t fall to the ground. But at this point she didn’t care. She wanted to fall and never get up. She wanted everyone else to disappear and let her be. Let her drown in her sea of tears, her pain, her disbelief, her confusion, her anger. She just wanted to be alone. Yet she knew that if she was to be alone, she’d fall apart and there wouldn’t be a soul who would be able to pick her up.

So she sat down and stared into the nothingness before her. How could he be gone? Why so soon? Why when she had just began to know him and he had become an important part of her life? She knew deep down she would never get the answer. Still, she asked.

When the service was over, her friend took her home. She wanted to be alone but her nephew was right there at the door to receive her, excited that she was home early. An opportunity to play, for him. So she let him join her in her room and tried to be the aunt that wouldn't disappoint him, but still the tears came. That she couldn't control no matter how hard she tried. The little boy wondered why a grown-up was crying, but that’s just what she thought. She’ll never know what he was thinking. At this point a good friend came over and she asked to take him to lunch. God knew she needed a friend and a very good distraction. Food worked, it almost always does for her. So they went out and bought food and talked about random things. It was going well up until the dreaded question came up and she had to explain why she was down and why she wasn't at work.

She composed herself and answered the question. Being the awesome friend he was who somehow knew what she needed, he offered her a shoulder to cry on when she was ready. But in the meantime, games made a good distraction. The day was over and she didn't shed a tear.

But as the days went by all she could do was cry. When she heard a song that reminded her of him, cried herself to sleep, cried at the office, it’s like all she could do was cry. Sometimes, she felt like she was in pain literally and nothing could take it away. She didn't know how to get past this. Yes she had lost people before but not like this. Not someone she considered a friend and had been seeing almost every day. She had the support system of her other workmates and this somehow made things easier but it also meant that she wouldn't deal with it like she should. But honestly, how do you deal? Someone once told her that when it comes to death, you never get over it. You just learn to live with the pain until it doesn't hurt anymore.

All the while she continued to deal with things the way she knew she shouldn't. It took less strength to get lost, it was something she’d already started doing so why not continue. I guess when you miss the chance to make a change in someone’s life and they die, you feel responsible. You are responsible. That was one of the lowest points in her life if not the lowest. In the process, she walked away from people and things that she loved. She had to....

This story doesn't end in hopelessness. She doesn't fade into oblivion. She makes a conscious decision to let go of the hurt, the pain, the regret… she makes a decision to fight another day. To not give in to depression and any other form of destruction her heart and soul didn't need. And slowly she’s getting there. The joy coming back to her life. The healing happening without her really noticing. Being removed from the place that she felt she needed to be to the place where God knew she should be so that he could heal her. Running away didn't help, it never has.

Yes she misses him, yes she still cries, yes it still hurts, but now it’s bearable because she knows that it’s not her own strength that’s working in her life. She may not go back to the relationships she had before but new ones have formed and she knows that they are just what she needs. She may not do some of things she used to, but the ones meant for her, she’ll find a way back to them.

There is no formula to dealing with death. All one can do is surrender every feeling to God and let Him take you through it. Easier said than done? Well, it beats drowning your sorrows in all the things that will leave you emptier. Trust me on that. There’s a certain peace that God gives that no one and nothing else can. One that surpasses all understanding. You don’t understand it and you don’t need to. But it’s the kind of peace you need when things around you are falling apart. The kind of peace that keeps you grounded.