Talking out of turn
A bombshell fell on me last night. I was hanging out with my friends when CG got tipsy enough to take me aside, "Can I tell you something between you and me?" It was nice enough that he told me that I was hands-down the best looking girl in A-100, and still am. Then he started, "A couple of weeks ago when you were on vacation, WS was here with the big boss and the rest of us and started a conversation about how there is tension between the two of you."
I was mortified. You can't be friends with all of your colleagues, but I had been having a particularly hard time liking one of them. She had serious issues, and I was highly put out by her incompetence and lack of social graces. Also, I don't suffer fools gladly. After a period of trying to make nice, I simply gave up. I tolerated her, but did not go the extra length to confer with her or even look at her. Challenging, since she sits behind me, and the negative energy billows from her side of the cubicle jungle, forcing me to put on headphones while I'm working.
Many revelations followed. After CG left, my two other friends were tipsy enough to fill in the rest of the picture. They assured me that they took WS to task and later suggested to our boss that perhaps she was the one with the problem. They also told me that they had never wanted me to know about what went down (I remember that night, I was moshing at the Nine Inch Nails concert across town. Shhh, don't let anyone know I'm hard-core).
Reflecting on it, I'm impressed with the following things:
* I'm very perceptive. When I came back I felt a palpable change, and somehow knew that WS was up to something. Also I wondered when my bosses' attitude towards me was different. Automatically I thought it was something wrong with me.
* I have great friends and strong colleagues--not only did they shut her down that night, but they tried to speak on my behalf. After all, I haven't done anything wrong!
* I thought of all the instances I was a jerk to her, or shall we say, could have acted differently. Watching Larry David has liberated my inner menace. She's like the inconsiderate handicapped person that I don't treat differently. I tell people what I think, and while I'm never confrontational or emotional, I can be downright cold.
This discovery was not meant to change who I am. It is nice to get the heads' up, though. Also, the consciousness has awakened me. I never knew I was dealing with such a snake. But I can change or tread softly these next two years to rise above and beyond the muck. Best advice I ever got: "Take it like water off a duck's back."
I was mortified. You can't be friends with all of your colleagues, but I had been having a particularly hard time liking one of them. She had serious issues, and I was highly put out by her incompetence and lack of social graces. Also, I don't suffer fools gladly. After a period of trying to make nice, I simply gave up. I tolerated her, but did not go the extra length to confer with her or even look at her. Challenging, since she sits behind me, and the negative energy billows from her side of the cubicle jungle, forcing me to put on headphones while I'm working.
Many revelations followed. After CG left, my two other friends were tipsy enough to fill in the rest of the picture. They assured me that they took WS to task and later suggested to our boss that perhaps she was the one with the problem. They also told me that they had never wanted me to know about what went down (I remember that night, I was moshing at the Nine Inch Nails concert across town. Shhh, don't let anyone know I'm hard-core).
Reflecting on it, I'm impressed with the following things:
* I'm very perceptive. When I came back I felt a palpable change, and somehow knew that WS was up to something. Also I wondered when my bosses' attitude towards me was different. Automatically I thought it was something wrong with me.
* I have great friends and strong colleagues--not only did they shut her down that night, but they tried to speak on my behalf. After all, I haven't done anything wrong!
* I thought of all the instances I was a jerk to her, or shall we say, could have acted differently. Watching Larry David has liberated my inner menace. She's like the inconsiderate handicapped person that I don't treat differently. I tell people what I think, and while I'm never confrontational or emotional, I can be downright cold.
This discovery was not meant to change who I am. It is nice to get the heads' up, though. Also, the consciousness has awakened me. I never knew I was dealing with such a snake. But I can change or tread softly these next two years to rise above and beyond the muck. Best advice I ever got: "Take it like water off a duck's back."