Friday, March 23, 2007

Breaking the spin cycle

My work boss likes to spin. He likes to take spinning class at the Y and after spinning class at the Y, he likes to spin right in here to work, and spin down the hall into his/out of his office, up and down the hall, up the stairs and down the stairs, and out the door to the hospital where he spins into ER or ICU or wherever it is he is called to spin.

You can hear him coming if you keep your radar up. He emits this low humm, much like an old timey fan.. Whirr is more like it. It’s best to stay out of arm’s reach when you hear that noise. If you get pulled into the spin you may come out looking something like hair with gum stuck in it, or you may find out your clothes are on backwards or your shoes are tied together. It’s dangerous. DANE- gerous I tell you.

He doesn’t always give off the humm. He doesn’t whirr every minute of every day, but when we approach critical Church events/ times/ occasions, well, the whirr is with us. Whirring is not a bad thing, mind you. Whirring is actually the sound of creativity in motion. This church is all about that. This church is full of creativity and this church is always in motion. I’m surprised the building hasn’t left the ground yet; lift off would solve many problems I’ve heard mentioned in the hallways here.

So, anyway…. I had the opp to break the cycle (if you will) of the spin. The week had been full of humming, whirring, continuous spiritual spinning. I was dizzy at the end of every day. By mid week I had taken to wearing my tennis shoes so I could get a better grip on my days. Even with the windows closed, I had to paperweight all the loose papers on my desk. Let’s just say it was a busy busy week, and much of it originated from the chief’s cave.

I came in early to try to get a handle on the day, and found an email from my boss.
It said, “ WE NEED ANOTHER MAILBOX FOR BLAH BLAH BLAH. tHANKS ….

I read the script and was shoved away from my desk by the all-caps message. I could tell by his thoughtful closure- (little t followed by caps on hanks) that he was spinning when he wrote. I envisioned him in his chair just rotating around and around as he batted around ideas and visions. I was certain he would never intentionally start my day with a scream. I got up and stood by his door. It was vibrating. Air was rushing out from underneath it. Yep. Clear case of Spination. So, I wrote him back.

I wrote, WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME FIRST THING THIS MORNING?”Then I waited.

Suddenly, the barometric pressure dropped. The building released an exhausted sigh. His door opened, and he came over with a most perplexed look on his face. “Yelling?, I wasn’t yelling. Why did you think I was yelling? Why, church chick, I wouldn't yell at you...” I explained the facts of email etiquette and he understood right away. I think it broke the immediate spin cycle, or at least it slowed it down a bit. Anyway, I am sure I saw him take at least one complete and full breath before he whirred back into his office. Ah, respite comes in short blurts at times, but it is respite all the same.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should send your boss to Tetsou and have him read The 7 Deadly Sins of Email a guide to good business email etiquette.

Whether you work for a large corporation of for yourself as a solo entrepreneur it's better to be a saint than a sinner when it comes to business email etiquette!

Tetsou
www.tetsou.co.uk

Anonymous said...

No way would I want your job !

"imagine the darkness in love with the light." said...

wow hon that sounds like our john. he never ever ever stops. there is no stopping him. very little slows him down. and some how he manages to pull it all together. i've seen it many a times. good luck with spinning with him.