“I put an ant farm in my office,” she says nonchalantly as if ant farm were synonymous with table lamp or pencil sharpener. “They’re such hard workers. I look at them and they motivate me to work.”
I’m all for having a productive work space but for me that usually means a cup of coffee near by. So I got to thinking about other peoples work spaces and I decided to take a little tour around campus (what we in the corporate world refer to as the giant office buildings we work in that cover several blocks) to peek at weird things people add to their offices.
A colorful slinky stretches out across a monitor stand while next door a mini basketball hoop fixed to the wall only a foot off the ground begs for a dunk. One office dweller banished a bowl of candy to sit on a chair outside her door. I suppose that’s one way to keep it out of arms reach.
I see a man balance on a giant ball instead of a chair and have to comment on his impressive posture. But what really catches my eye is the gal working from a cozy Ikea love-seat. Feet propped up, laptop open, she doesn’t even notice me hovering in her doorway.
Walls are littered with children’s artwork and windowsills double as trophy cases. White boards are smeared in colors that make people appear to be busy. A row of Pepsi cans defends the perimeter of one desk and up high on a shelf is a giant stuffed octopus.
Someone collects comic strips and displays them on their door. Giggles escape a women with headphones. She doesn’t think I can see the YouTube video on her screen. Some keep fish. Others keep plants. They’re signs of life. Proof there is a world beyond the one at our fingertips.
It was a depressing walk back into my office where there are sadly no photographs anywhere. My computer is saturated with them but I have nothing on display for the fellow passerby. I have a tree that soaks up artificial sun from a daylight lamp and a dish full of candy canes I know I won’t eat. There’s a fridge stocked with beer, jam and cream cheese and on top of that is an old, tarnished toaster that gets the job done. A blanket drapes a chair in the corner under a torchiere lamp. It looks almost inviting but I’ve only sat there once. To date, I have not found a single thing in my job that would require the use of a white board although I have three of them plus two cork boards fixed to my walls. In the corner of one of the cork boards pinned high at the top is a deflated red balloon with the words “Great Job” printed in fun bold lettering. It was here when I moved in and it’s the first thing I see when I raise my head from the screen to think. I don’t have the heart to take it down. I appreciate the unintended compliment and figure if she can have ants – I can have this balloon.
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