The stillness, the soft beeping of the fax machine, the 'psst-psst' sound of the air freshener... all intensified in the silence. It's actually quiet and peaceful. Eerily silent. Amazing... I can get used to this.
See how little it takes to amaze me? Let me set the background facts. My office is a hustle and bustle of activity. People continuously entering and exiting, office girls answering calls, talking to clients, typing furiously on keyboards and electric typewriters (all at the same time, mind you...), despatch boys shouting from one end to the other negotiating who should take which task, bosses rushing in and out of rooms, all tangly haired and head frowns deepening as the day goes by, associates tending to documents, calls, people... and more people, twenty printing machines going on non-stop. Its a sea of activity of people and things. You get the picture.
But once the clock strikes one, everything stops. Hickory Dickory Dock and Voila! Its like you've been transported to a different time zone, different place even. Even the calls stop coming in. There must be a pre-answered recording, saying "It's Lunchtime, Dufus! As if you're going to be entertained...?". A few receipts of that would probably stop people from calling at the forsaken hour of 1pm to 2pm. I've yet to check.. but that could be it.
I get the best view of the office from where I'm sitting. In my lonely little end-room, decked in one-sided mirror walls, I get to see everybody's movement, even the reception area.... all one-sided. Genius, huh? I see All. I can sit cross-legged, or feet up on the table, puffing cigars, watching DVDs all day long, and no one would be any wiser. But then, the smoke and cigar smell would give me away. And if anyone approaches, it'll take special skills to turn off the movie, re-arrange my legs and skirt, and pretend to be busily tapping on the keyboard in one smooth, suave move. Right... getting a bit carried away here, that could be a different story, but what I'm saying is, from my first class view right now, the office is ... completely empty. No movement whatsoever. As still as dark water...
And I'm loving it! For once, I can think. The stillness is redirecting oxygen into my deprived brain cells, and it's soothing in pure calmness. In fact, I kid you not, I feel sudden bursts of energy in my head... revamping my movement of thoughts. I'm all energized now. Re-wired. I can now tackle the most headstrong of clients easily, no problems. Calls? Problematic files? No worries, mate! Bring it on....!
Is that all it takes to jumpstart your system? A moment of silence. A well-deserved break of momentary shut-down. Its funny how easily you forget the simple things. How the easiest solution is often brushed aside to make way for the complicated. When our minds get all stressed up, we buy new CDs, watch the latest movies, go for a holiday... all things which require planning, organising, and exchange of dollar bills. So maybe some part of our anatomy does relax... except the part which requires it most. The mind. The Brain. When what it takes to get them all together, is actually... a little peace. A bit of inactivity for the mind. The cheapest and most simple of solutions... but the most difficult to achieve.
Noooo! The first ring of the phone just began. The door opens... and people in all shapes and sizes come marching in. There goes my moment. My Moment... taken away, just like that in a snap. Oh well.... I had it for a while. And it was pretty amazing.
Now I've gotta go raid the pantry. Aah.... I see some girls with cut fruits in clear plastic. Time to jumpstart another part of the anatomy. The loud, grumbling one...
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