The woman that is training me to replace her is lovely, just plain wonderful. I was going to go to the store after work to buy a planner because everything is so damn crazy and there is so much to keep track of, being an EA, and just as that thought popped into my head this woman (we'll call her C) popped up with a gorgeous red snake-print leather bound planner for me and showed me how everyone else in the office organizes their planners so I could get a head start and be on the same page. We discussed using a planner as more than a work object, but also as a way to make time for things--people are always saying they don't have time for this and that, especially working full time, and C emphasized that the planner is for your whole life; use it to keep track of your plans with friends, personal goals, exercise numbers, groceries, quotes you love, doodles, whatever.
I like planners but this talk changed my perception of them as stressful objects. It got me to thinking about objects in general and the stigmas surrounding them.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about money, working where I now do (our clients and my boss are all veeeeeeery wealthy) and the good and bad of it.
Before I fully take over C's position I am being trained in other areas, and the first one is reception. There is a big ol' bowl of those chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil on the front desk, about a foot away from me. It really triggers these aforementioned thoughts of money when I see them gleaming in the afternoon sun. You can literally thrust your hands into this bowl of gold and not feel the bottom.
We custom these special babies from NYC (the boss is SO picky about every little thing) and they are goooooooood. They're not the typical cheap ones that you find at little kids' pirate-themed birthdays. They are legit damn good chocolate (I can feel myself already gaining weight sitting at that desk!!). For every 2 chocolates I eat I make sure I drink a green tea. Not sure why, but I feel like this counteracts some of that gold goodness...that is also badness in disguise. See? The stigmas surrounding things!!
And so, here are a few more objects of my day:
Eli picked up some nasty cold from God-Knows-Where (he is in denial that it is a cold--he thinks he just happens to have a seriously deep cough with mucous) and gave it to me (not hard considering my little putt-putt immune system needs a serious jump).
I lost my voice at work today and on an errand to the store for the boss picked up some of these.
The checkout lady was like "oh these are the absolute best!!" and I got excited because I just grabbed them without really looking (have you seen the selection of cough drops nowadays?? Can they really be that different?! It is so exhausting to not feel well and then try to read the packaging and determine what is going to make you feel the best). I picked them because I don't want to just treat the cough, but end the whole crappy cold and saw the Vitamin C and was sold. A co-worker saw them and also exclaimed at their wonderful properties. And now whenever I pull one out of the bag I perceive it as a nugget of health. I feel better already. Which is totally different than when I usually use a cough drop and take it out of the bag and look at it and resent it thinking "I am sick and you are an affirmation of that. And you're not even candy. You're fake candy medicine and you taste like CRAP."
But..these ones taste good and apparently they are the blessing of the cough drop world. Woohoo!
I absolutely love these books--they're an entire big series that I've been reading and re-reading since I was 4 years old (or younger, my mom used to read them to me). They're set in the early 20th century and I have had them all for years and years, meaning they go everywhere with me...namely the bath.
My copy of this book is in tatters. The cover is gone and it looks like a dead moth most of the time but I think of it as the Velveteen Rabbit. Anyway, I am going through the series again and I especially love these when I'm stressed out because of the simpler time that they are set in. So I was in the bath reading my beloved book and got out, set it on the back of the toilet, and did my business in the toilet. And then I flushed and somehow (is my house haunted??) the book fell. Into. The. Toilet.
I screamed "SHIT!" and immediately snatched it out.
I started freaking out because I've accidentally dipped a book in the bathwater a time or two, but the toilet?? Mixed in there with my pee?! I was devastated. And Eli heard my freaking out and came to see what was the issue and laughed at me (typical).
I rinsed it off (hey, it is already wet, right?) and then blow-dried it whilst spraying it with that Lysol antibacterial mist stuff.
I spent 20 minutes trying to take care of my book and wondering if I should toss it in the trash, knowing I have a Barnes and Noble gift card in my wallet and they're in stock at my local store (I stay up to date on these things) but.....
This isn't just an object. After treating it following its little dip into the pooper I kept wondering if it was sanitary and ruined forever and how long it would take to dry.
And then I realized I didn't care. Its like disowning a stinky baby or kicking your dog out because he is dirty. If something has a place in your heart, it always will, no matter what it has been up to.
So I picked it up (damp and smelling like alcohol) and took it into bed with me like good old times.
I treasure it more than I could a lifetime supply of gold coins (real or chocolate) or the best tasting cough drop. Isn't it curious how different objects signify different things in our lives?
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