Clever, comical colleagues

I work in a section of office space that houses around 75 people (give or take).    Many (most) of these individuals are vibrant, dynamic personalities.  They are engaging, witty, personable, kind, wicked smart, outgoing, gregarious, lovely extroverts.  They work very hard (and do amazing things professionally), but they also like to be social and interactive.

Last week a sizable chunk of these folks attended a week-long training that was conducted in a different building.  I noticed their absence, certainly, but didn’t think too much of it. (I can sometimes be a bit oblivious, and just go with whatever is in front of me.)  However, when I returned to the office yesterday, I saw a very large note waiting for these peers who were away last Monday through Friday:

The note reads, “Welcome Back Team.  It was so quiet that…

• I could hear my clock ticking on my desk.
• My footsteps created an echo.
• I had to talk to myself.
• There was no one to tease.
• I could hear myself blink.
• There were no conversations to dip into.
• I wasn’t even hungry.
• I could hear the trainer [who was at the offsite location {about 5 miles away from our office}] from here!
• Whispering over cubes worked just fine.”

Now, a few of these items are ‘inside jokes’, and may not translate well to people not familiar with these work individuals.  However, I laughed out loud at a few of the comments.  (Especially the “I could hear myself blink”, and “I wasn’t even hungry”.)  Admittedly, I’m easily entertained; still, I thought this entry-way greeting was pretty clever – and quite kind.  It’s nice to be missed; and it’s nice to be welcomed back – especially with good-natured humor.

Stef