Strangers in the same office and…..One cuppa coffee ……

It is the time again, to take a look at the day – defined as the time we spend in office – in our lives. I am pretty darn sure that all of you reading this will be shaking your heads and some of you/us cursing when you saw me defining day as the time we spend in office. Well, I don’t like it too… but somehow over the years, we have ended up spending more time at office than with family at home. So our ‘day’ is simpler and yes, let us face it, is easier to relate if defined so.
Work is always there, but is that the only thing that happens? Seems like a simple question, but it is that question that answers another very common question – “How was your day?”. Any guesses on the possible answers?? There probably are a million, but the most popular one (my personal fav) : “It was fun, except that they made me work!!! :P “ (thank you calvin for inspiring my thinking ;))

I have a friend at work, whom I have known for over 2yrs. He and I have been great buddies. We used to work at the same office building before he went on a project assignment to the US. We kept in touch. Then after a month or so, I also happened to travel to the US on work. We didn’t live in the same city, or state. Yet we found time and travelled during the vacations, went to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, partied in Vegas, travelled in the NY underground….et al.

Then, we came back to India, back to the same office. We were on different assignments though. Then it so happened that he shifted offices. Few months down the line I also shifted and both again landed up in the same office. Both were really happy and our entire gang of friends were here and the fun was back!...... or so we thought…..

Days went by, then weeks, then months…. Even though we sit about 25ft away from each others cubicles, we were not able to find time to say "HI" to each other!! The regular coffee breaks were now totally random and more often than not 'just not there'! We were buried in our respective projects and work had taken over life! About 3 days back, we bumped into each other in the cafeteria (at 9:30 pm) where we had each gone to take a drink of water, and then realized we had not spoken for many many days! And then it came out, the sentence neither wanted to say or hear – “ Dude! we have become strangers in the same office!!” – he said. We had a good laugh and went back to work.
But this set the thought train rolling in my head, steaming me down the track, pushing me to take a Reality Check!!!

How did this happen? When did life with family, friends and others go into, or dare I say, fade into the background? When did work CONSUME the life that it was supposed to be a PART of??
I am sure all will agree with me when I say – None of us signed up for this! And also when I go on to say – But this is life!!.............................. or is it ??!

I am still very ‘young in the industry’ as lot of people may take the liberty to say. But does that mean I (and many in my position) don’t have a life!!
I do have a life and I will always have a family that backs me and friends who say – "got your back dude" - to count on. Is that all?
With all this bugging me, I came in to work as any other day today, but there was one thing different waiting to happen. My friend and I decided to go have a cup of coffee!! Yeah! That seems right!! Seems the right way to keep work as a PART of life!

The seemingly small even of having coffee with a close buddy changed the way we think and act and of course best means to take a REALITY CHECK!!!
Work (in my thinking and opinion) is supposed to be a way, a means, to fulfill our dreams, for ourselves, for our parents, wife/ husband, children, share dreams with close friends and fulfill them! Our working now, is supposed to aid all this and build foundation for our next generations to again be able to dream!!!
So, again, I decide, to TRY MY BEST, to keep work as a PART of life, and ENJOY life as a whole and definitely build and Chase DREAMS!!!