I have been at my new job now 86 days. I have acclimated well and feel like a part of the team. It was weird at first, being in a team situation. For the last 14 years I have been in an office by myself, doing my own thing. I sat by myself, ate lunch by myself, and only interacted with co-workers when there was a need or I just wanted to. It felt more like a dysfunctional family than a team motivated work environment.
Don’t get me wrong. I still work with humans and I’m still human. So these new people are not perfect and neither am I. But for the most part they all work well together and make an effort to get things done. This includes things that may or may not be in their “job description.”
I’ve gotten to know these people and feel connected to them and seriously consider them friends. Now, I know that I have not even been there 90 days yet and we are probably still in our honeymoon period. But most of these people have worked together for years and they seem to get along and genuinely care about each other. So I don’t expect that I’ll be any different.
But there is one thing I would like to say about this group. They lied to me on the first day.
The place where I work is slightly secluded from the main drag. So when I took this job I thought – “I’ll have to bring my lunch.” Now that was not a bad thing. It was a good thing. I would not only save some money, but I could eat healthier by bringing my lunch. So that very first Monday I show up with my homemade, healthy lunch. This is where the lie began. I was told, “We usually try to bring our lunch. We only eat out on Wednesdays.” I think that was the only week that I brought my lunch for 4 days and ate out on a Wednesday.
All it takes is for one person to say “I didn’t bring my lunch” or “I brought my lunch, but I don’t want it” and we are off. We jump into a vehicle and drive pell mell all over the Hulen/Bryant Irvin/Crowley area. We have appetizers, desserts, and sometimes 2 hours lunches. I had warm chocolate meringue pie that I dreamt about for weeks after eating it.
In addition to these gluttonous lunches, we have people bringing cakes, pies, fried pies, cookies, cupcakes, macaroons, Whitman’s pecan cluster, and scores of other things. I’m not even going to talk about the bags of candies that are purchased, kept in the office supply room, and dished out in bowls.
This evening I arrived home bloated, swollen, and full. I had been full all day, but had somehow, still managed to gorge myself all day. I literally felt ill. My pants, that were slightly loose 86 days ago, are now just a little snug. I was in a-fib for a couple of hours and had a pain in the general area that the specialist told me my liver was in. So as I lay beached on the sofa, I came to the realization that it’s time to jump off the crazy food train and start my trudge back up the hill to healthy eating choices.
I have a plan in mind. It’s no diet. Just better choices. Tonight when I finally started feeling just a tad hungry, I decided on a brownie with a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream. That choice will no longer be on the menu. Another thing I have added to my diet in the last several weeks is about four cups of coffee a day and sometimes a pot on Saturdays. This vice I think I will keep.
But in the future, that vehicle zipping all over town will not be caring my great big butt. Well, maybe only on Wednesdays.
Sea cows are adorable if it’s any consolation. 🙂 I used to work in an office for an Outdoor Specialty retailer – everyone would ride their bikes or workout at lunchtime but they’d also get pizza constantly and there were brownies or m&m’s in every corner of the building. And cake, always cake! I made sure to bring my own healthy lunches all the time but it was pretty difficult with all that temptation around!
Better choices is a great way to look at it. If you go out with your coworkers, be a good example to them and order something reasonable. Hey, maybe they will even join you! Try to remember that every meal is an opportunity to make a good decision. If you do go off track for a meal – no big deal, just pick up and start eating well from that point on! Good luck!
Yes they are! But I realize, once again, that I must take better care of this stubby body or I will not enjoy the quality of life I would like in my elder years.