April Fool’s Day

As we know, “work from work” is slowly becoming a reality again, and our colleagues are slowly trickling back to an actual workplace. Kicking and screaming in some cases, but they are nonetheless making their way back to “work.” Back to the story - a dear friend was asked to do a presentation to a client. An important client.

As one does, you dust off your slides, and you make sure you practice that song and dance routine you have done so many times before. Then, horror! At 7 pm at night, your manager informs you that it is actually a face-to-face event and not the remote event you have become so used to during the last two years! But still, no problem, you are a professional after all, so you go with the flow.

And then you wake up on April Fool’s Day (truly!), and you get ready for the day, and your presentation is packed and waiting for flawless delivery. You haul out that great outfit that used to be your “power dressing” masterpiece. And then you discover (with some horror) that cupboards are mean things. To get back at you for ignoring them for so long, they simply shrink the clothing in there! Indiscriminately too.

Cupboard 1, Presentation 0 so far. But who is keeping score when you are facing a crisis!

While cursing the unsporting behaviour of cupboards, you now start panic dressing. To try and find a (suitable) outfit spared by the bad behaviour from your cupboard. You’ll deal with that cupboard later; for now, you need an outfit! And so, in a “movie-scene-like” frenzy, you are now mega-tasking between makeup and outfit and all the other bits we seem to do.

And then the realisation hits you. The indiscriminately bad behaviour by cupboards mean that they spared only the outfits that are so horribly dated and out of fashion that you feel like a fancy-dress party goer and not the professional your client expects to show up. More panic! As if in a bad dream, you find yourself dressed and in the car speeding towards the venue where you are certain your humiliation will become complete.

The heels you dressed in (not too high as your ankles are no longer used to it) feel like Jackboots on you, but that is ok. They match the outfit. Therefore, ladies and gents, get ready to return to work from work. It is sometimes going to be painful and uncomfortable, but the payback is that we will begin to feel more human again.

Note: Names are being withheld to protect the feelings of the outfits I may have offended and the cupboards that are being remodelled.