Change of cubicles

10/04/2019

My cubicle at the workplace used to be a good one. Years ago, I was luckily shuffled to a window cubicle, i.e. the last cubicle without anybody but a window in the back.  It is a big see-through window. As a matter of fact, it is so transparent that once a bird banged into (against?) it and dropped to the ground unconscious.  Hung in front of the window, from the ceiling to almost the floor, are horizontal adjustable blinds, through which light filters in.  When the sun comes out, as it does almost every day, the light could flood in from the widely open blinds. Its brightness and warmth help disperse the gloominess, if any, inside the office.  Toward the end of a day, I would occasionally spare a moment peering at the parking lot, watching cars exiting, making turns and disappearing into the driveway in the depth of tall willow trees, knowing that soon it will be my time to go home.  When days get short, and nights come early, a glimpse of sunset sky before it turns complete dark sometimes entertains me. Then I would remember to close the blinds, to shut off the darkness from the brightly lit office. 

A window corner gives me some views that would otherwise be unavailable had I buried myself in the enclosed cubicle.  But the best part of seating myself at the end of aisle is the considerable privacy it entails.  I can read or write at the interval furtively without anyone walking behind and seeing it.  The only person that I need to be on alert is my supervisor, a micro manager, who likes to check me by appearing sneakily in front of my cubicle.

But this privilege was taken away yesterday. As a new payroll person joined our team recently, rumors of moving payroll persons to an office were in the air. When they failed to secure an office, my cubicle was coveted. A move is planned, scheduled and carried out.  I was moved to a cubicle, darker, noisier, with my back facing the aisle, where my manager could lurk from behind and catch me off guard but on spot if I am doing anything unrelated to work.:))

A lot of time we are not offered with choices. But where there is a will, there is a way.