It’s Always Tea Time



A standard work meeting

 `
Yes, that’s it,’ said the Hatter with a sigh: `it’s always tea-time, and we’ve no time to wash the things between whiles.’

`Then you keep moving round, I suppose?’ said Alice.

`Exactly so,’ said the Hatter: `as the things get used up.’ 

                                 – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Workplaces want more than just nose-to-the-grindstone workers.  Oh, sure, they want those too, especially if these workers will also work for bread crumbs and nose insurance.  But to really succeed in almost any business, you have to show you’re involved.  As in, you need to join clubs.  That’s right, you just thought you left high school.


But it gets better.  Just like no one ever threw a pep rally for the Honor Society, so people are more impressed with those who volunteer for extra activities.  It shows you are a “team player”.  Instead of volleyball practice, these activities invariably involve meetings.  And the meetings almost always involve committees, which involve sub-committees, until you are effectively always in some sort of meeting.  That has nothing to do with your actual job.  Ironically, the more you do this, the better your job outlook.


And so, lately I have been quite involved in an Activities Committee.  And I’ve been in a lot of meetings.  I help plan birthday parties, and parades, and fundraising walks, and Chili Cook-Offs and of course what we shall serve in the coffee shop (I don’t actually work at a coffee shop, by the way).  This can’t be done by just anyone.  It involves a lot of deep thinking involving whether we should use fancy toothpicks or little wrappers for samples, or how to dress up a float (would voodoo be out of line in a conservative Bible-Belt town?), or stupid team names (don’t make me repeat these).  Like I said, important stuff.


I’ve missed several blogging days.  I’ve been busy.  In meetings.  One must always have these, because little gets accomplished in the other meetings, which calls for another.  But it’s like this in all things – as soon as you get used to something being one way, it’s time to change, and another meeting to figure out how to do so.  New cup, move down.