Dear Office: I Love You

I park in the same spot every day. Walk through the same doors, go up the same escalator. Well, I did...until the pandemic forced me to create an office in the corner of my bedroom where I've worked for the last year and three months. I didn't like it, but I didn't realize how much I missed the office until I started coming back to work.

I parked in my same spot and walked through the same doors today with a new respect. I breathed in the smell and smiled at the light streaming through the windows. On my way up the escalator I counted and realized I've walked that route over three thousand times. I've been hearing others complain about having to go back to on-site work, have read numerous news articles about how people will quit if they have to come back, and I realize how lucky I am to feel this way. I love our office.

I enjoy the separation of my work life and my home life. I immerse myself so much in my role that I completely lose sight of the outside world during the day, and I like to do the same thing at night with my family. The intersection of the two was hard for me, I didn't feel like I was doing either with my whole heart. It was a burden I didn't realize I was carrying.

Coming back I realize it's the little things that I've missed the most. I love making a pot of coffee in the morning and hoping my co-workers will realize it's fresh and have a cup. I love straightening the couches after a group has had a brainstorming session or engaging in a passionate discussion about how we're going to cover Texans Training Camp (find out how we do it by downloading the Audacy app and tuning in to SportsRadio 610 in Houston). I even love putting away the dishes in the dishwasher I bought so we could be more environmentally friendly. These aren't my job responsibilities; service is my love language.

Of course it's not really just the office that I missed, most of the things I mentioned are really about the people that work in that office alongside me. I work in the radio industry. We are a special group: scrappy, fun, innovative people who work hard and play even harder. The people I get to work with every day are my work family. And while I have seen their faces on Zoom or on the occasional in-person sales call, I can't wait for them all to be back. I've missed them. I've missed us. In our office.