I had an amazing dream the other night. I went to a Quiet Café. It was so real and so blissful, that when I woke up, it took a few minutes for me realize that it was just a dream. I’m afraid as I try to write this that it will probably just sound silly, and I really wish that I could do it justice in writing. But, in my dream state, in my imagination, it was perfect and blissful. I am the type of person who rarely remembers my dreams beyond those first hazy moments of waking up. But, the Quiet Café is a dream that I know I will not forget, and in not forgetting it exists for me.
The Quiet Café is like a spa. You check in at the front desk by signing your
name to the guest book and being assigned a little room of your own, somewhat like
a cabana. Plush robes are provided. There are massage and regular spa services, a
pool, a library, and a little restaurant.
You change into your slippers and robe and can either take a nap in your
cabana, watch a favorite movie (with headphones) or venture to the pool or spa
areas or the library. There are waiters
who bring around tea or cocktails and a little restaurant with beautiful tapas-like
foods and snacks. The only rule – you got
it – is No Talking, none; not even whispering.
There are little note pads for communicating when necessary. It is pure bliss.
The reason why I am revisiting the Quiet Café this Sunday
after a long holiday weekend is that I find myself dreading going back to work
tomorrow. I know that end-of-weekend
(especially long holiday weekend) blues are pretty universal. However, I’m finding the prospect of the full
work week ahead of me particularly daunting right now. My company is in the middle of the busiest
selling season that anyone I work with can remember. In addition, within the division I work, this
is the busiest season of the year, with probably 90% of my deadlines occurring
between June and July every year.
Also, like most office workers these days, I work in
a cubicle environment. To be fair, I
have as private a cubicle as I could probably ask for. The walls are high and I am in the corner
against a window wall with a nice view of the mountains in the distance; not
bad at all. However, it is still a
cubicle. It is still an environment
where co-workers can shout at each other over the walls and carry on conversations
several cubicles away, that you would swear you are a part of, simply by virtue
of being in hearing distance. When I spend
long hours every day pouring over contract details in an effort to provide concise
and coherent advice on any liability or financial ramifications in provisions written
by lawyers and government agencies (in 8
point Times New Roman type, no less) I have to admit, the extraneous noise sometimes
makes me want to pull my hair out.
I worry that I am getting burned out. I have learned through past seasons’
experience, that both for the sake of my professional life and my personal
life, I need to take particular care of myself during this season. I spent my first few years with this company trying my hardest just to keep up. There was a significant learning curve. My personal and family life
suffered dearly. I learned my lesson. I no longer take work home with me. If I need to put in extra hours, I make the
effort to get into the office early or stay a little later at night; whatever
it takes to keep it at the office. When I
get home, I relax, period. I make the most out of my weekends with family trips and outings and dates with the hubby. We focus on each other completely
when at home together. Life at home is
good. Maybe that is a little of why it
is so hard these days to go back to work on Mondays.
Whatever the reason, I am
sure I am not alone in my post-holiday weekend blues. Couldn't we all use a little Quiet Café?
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