Today was a rough day on the work front—exactly the sort of day that inspired me to start this project. It’s weird. I used to consider myself pretty good at dealing with the challenges of the modern workplace. But lately, I’m not so sure. Between the endless meetings (now on Zoom) and a constant barrage of IMs on Slack, the ability to focus on any one task for more than a few minutes is nearly impossible. The end result is that you actually can’t do any meaningful work until the official work day is over.
At the moment, I don’t have a solution to this problem. I’m not even confident that there is one. But I’d like to try and figure it out. Whatever the solution (or coping mechanism that doesn’t involve alcohol, pot or pills), I remain convinced that sitting down and eating a proper lunch is most certainly a step in the right direction. And yet, my lunchtime plans nearly went off the rails despite the very best of intentions.
Thankfully, I was saved by one of my neighbors, an extremely thoughtful woman who occasionally leaves unexpected treats on my front porch. Today she left me a jar of homemade soup and a delicious homemade muffin. Can you believe it? That’s a pretty nice thing to do—and her timing was impeccable. I was feeling so overwhelmed. The soup and the muffin didn’t solve my problems or calm my fears, but they did touch my heart. And I am grateful. So very grateful for that.
The Civilized Lunch Project 