Friday, November 11, 2005
The Door
Okay, this is a bit wierd, but it is something that I have been meaning to write about for some time. I have been working in the same building for the last 11 years. The building was brand spanking new when we moved in and a lot has changed during this time. I have been through at least 5 bosses and many more employees have come and gone in that time frame. You might say that nothing really stays the same for too long around here.
Well, almost nothing stays the same. The picture below is of "The Door". This particular is always open. ALWAYS. What makes this strange is that one day last year, I was standing there, looking around with a queazy feeling in my innards, when I realized that for the first time in ten years, "The Door" was closed. Shut. Sealed. Secured.
I can't tell you why, but there was a wierd terror building inside of me when I realized that the one constant in my work life had changed. The first thought I had was "What the hell is wrong? Why is it closed? What aren't they telling me around here?" It was serious paranoia and fear. My favorite writer Hunter S. Thompson would have described it as "THE FEAR." I knew it that day and I was worried that the feeling would never leave me.
What made the realization even worse was when my new boss walked by. She had been on the job just about 2 months and was just getting the hang of things around our building. There was no way she would understand my terror at "The Door" being closed, or so I thought.
She looked at me, looked at the closed door, and made an eerie remark: "Why is that door closed? Is something wrong? That door is never closed."
I nearly bolted and ran for my car. "The Door" being closed was one thing, but someone who had barely been in the building a couple of months realizing that it being closed was wrong is something else. I just don't feel like I can get the feeling of doom that accompanied the site of "The Door" being closed across to anyone who doesn't see it on a regular basis.
The story does have a happy ending though. The boss summoned a member of the custodial staff who unlocked and opened the door. I felt better and it has never been closed since. Never.
Well, almost nothing stays the same. The picture below is of "The Door". This particular is always open. ALWAYS. What makes this strange is that one day last year, I was standing there, looking around with a queazy feeling in my innards, when I realized that for the first time in ten years, "The Door" was closed. Shut. Sealed. Secured.
I can't tell you why, but there was a wierd terror building inside of me when I realized that the one constant in my work life had changed. The first thought I had was "What the hell is wrong? Why is it closed? What aren't they telling me around here?" It was serious paranoia and fear. My favorite writer Hunter S. Thompson would have described it as "THE FEAR." I knew it that day and I was worried that the feeling would never leave me.
What made the realization even worse was when my new boss walked by. She had been on the job just about 2 months and was just getting the hang of things around our building. There was no way she would understand my terror at "The Door" being closed, or so I thought.
She looked at me, looked at the closed door, and made an eerie remark: "Why is that door closed? Is something wrong? That door is never closed."
I nearly bolted and ran for my car. "The Door" being closed was one thing, but someone who had barely been in the building a couple of months realizing that it being closed was wrong is something else. I just don't feel like I can get the feeling of doom that accompanied the site of "The Door" being closed across to anyone who doesn't see it on a regular basis.
The story does have a happy ending though. The boss summoned a member of the custodial staff who unlocked and opened the door. I felt better and it has never been closed since. Never.
