A Tree Falling in the Forest

It’s Friday afternoon, my nerves and brain power are just about shot. I can’t leave work until a meeting wraps up, so I am going to post something to my increasingly neglected blog. As a rule, I don’t usually tell stories from my workplace, but I think this one is generic enough that it will do no harm.

For several days this week I worked with my boss’s boss on a presentation he has to give to a group of high powered types. As we neared completion of the effort, we had to take a timeout to attend the retirement reception of my boss’s boss’s boss. So we set out to walk to the reception and were chatting and joking along the way. It was very jovial, especially for me, who usually adopts a reserved demeanor in the workplace. The banter continued as we waited for the elevator. Then the elevator arrives, the door opens, and we join an anonymous occupant in the elevator for the 15 story ride to the reception. The banter quickly ceases as I struggle to keep a straight face, breath, and avoid gagging. It seems the person in the elevator must have eaten some beans, or cabbage, or a dead skunk for lunch. So much for schmoozing with my boss’s boss, I was just trying to ignore the un-ignorable. When the doors opened, we all went in different directions without any further comment. When I realize the growth of my career has been stunted I will look back on this post and know why.