I just came back from lunch, with a whole group of my colleagues. It was kinda nice to be part of a larger group, and that I have some company when I'm having a meal. The food wasn't bad, but that's not the focus.
Lunch is the only time during the working hours when I have a little bit of personal time, and a moment to refresh myself. However, I'm spending this short hour with my co-workers where the conversation topic invariably always turns back to work. It's not a bad thing to get to know the people whom I'll be spending so much time with, but often times, we'd just run out of things to say, so we talk about the one thing common to us all: work.
My uncle once told me that he has always insisted on eating alone even from when he first started out. He enjoys taking his own time, making his own lunch schedule, and doing the things he likes to do during this short amount of free time. If he wants to take his time and eat a length lunch, he'll do that. If he wants to eat quickly and then go shopping, he'll do that instead. He contends that often when eating with colleagues, you'd just sit there and talk and chat and wait for one another. He doesn't like that.
And also, he says that often times, co-workers gathered together tend to gossip about one another. And he wants no part of that. Little lunch cliques, and people would only go to lunch with a select group. He doesn't want to be part of that either. So he's insistent on his views.
My uncle is sometimes a very opinionated person, and sometimes his views are a little odd. But as I sat there at lunch today, with people I work with, making small talk about how hot the weather is, and where I live and how I travel to work, and all the while waiting for someone to suggest that we leave, I wonder if there isn't a bit of truth to my uncle's views.
How do I want to spend the only free hour I have, when I'm here from 9am til 6pm?
Lunch is the only time during the working hours when I have a little bit of personal time, and a moment to refresh myself. However, I'm spending this short hour with my co-workers where the conversation topic invariably always turns back to work. It's not a bad thing to get to know the people whom I'll be spending so much time with, but often times, we'd just run out of things to say, so we talk about the one thing common to us all: work.
My uncle once told me that he has always insisted on eating alone even from when he first started out. He enjoys taking his own time, making his own lunch schedule, and doing the things he likes to do during this short amount of free time. If he wants to take his time and eat a length lunch, he'll do that. If he wants to eat quickly and then go shopping, he'll do that instead. He contends that often when eating with colleagues, you'd just sit there and talk and chat and wait for one another. He doesn't like that.
And also, he says that often times, co-workers gathered together tend to gossip about one another. And he wants no part of that. Little lunch cliques, and people would only go to lunch with a select group. He doesn't want to be part of that either. So he's insistent on his views.
My uncle is sometimes a very opinionated person, and sometimes his views are a little odd. But as I sat there at lunch today, with people I work with, making small talk about how hot the weather is, and where I live and how I travel to work, and all the while waiting for someone to suggest that we leave, I wonder if there isn't a bit of truth to my uncle's views.
How do I want to spend the only free hour I have, when I'm here from 9am til 6pm?
1 comment:
When I started honours at university I didn't have lunch with the other honours students, I would go an eat with my flatmates instead. The other honours students decided I must go away to eat by myself because I had no friends. Hence I was Friendless Farrell! That's where that came from.
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