Saying Goodbye to 135
https://medium.com/@deepikapathak/the-window-1e66056ddb5e
So we will be moving to a new work location and in normal circumstances it would just have been normal. But in times of COVID -19 it seems to be painful.
I stepped out today after almost 3 months, boarded the pre-scheduled office cab, got another cab mate picked and it all seemed like routine. It all seemed like routine, except for the masks we wore, the plastic covering between the driver’s seat and ours and just the two of us instead of the normal 5–6 people in the cab.
I looked outside and the world seemed to be moving in masks except for a few children playing on the street oblivious of the world around. Some people driving themselves to work maybe and without a co passenger seemed to be wearing a mask too. Some of us are lucky to be able to work from home but looking the world outside, it did look like we are learning to accept and carry on with our lives.
It rained in the morning and seemed a little pleasant until the sun shone bright again and the mask seemed to suffocate me. I tried a quick nap and realized how i miss my cab naps. Cab travel time is tiring for many but for me it was a time to do what i liked — read, listen to music, or watch some video or talk to friends.
Collecting my personal belongings from the office meant some strings being stirred. Well, anyway this is life. I stood by my favorite window and tried to relive some moments; I felt certain hollowness which is difficult to express. Both my bags got filled up with my stuff. I then looked at the cabins and the meeting rooms for one last time, I looked at my favorite corners, I looked at the Lean Boards which we had so passionately created. Well, yes, sometimes things have to break…to make room for better!
As i finished collecting my personal belongings and submitted the drawer keys, and sat waiting for the cab, I wanted to visit the cafeteria to grab a quick bite. Of-course there was no service available but i kind of craved for a cup of office tea.
A minute of unsaid thanks and gratitude to the people who enable working from home, the guards and the security personnel who have to be in office to take care of little insignificant things like us collecting our mugs and trophies.
As i leave office, the guards smiled with their eyes and i said ‘see you in the new office’…only we don’t know when! As i finish penning these thoughts sitting in the cab, I will shut my laptop and take a quick 15 mins nap before i reach home.
