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20 July 2007

Stop and look around. Listen carefully. What's the most important thing nearby? Now think of what's most valuable to you in the world (you don't have to say what it is). Is it within your grasp? Far away? How does it compare with what's close to you?
The most important thing I can see right now is the picture of my nephew from last Christmas that I have on my desk. That, and the timesheet I just printed out to fill in by the end of the day.

I was just thinking about how little of value I have here at work with me, and in fact, how little I own here in New York that I'd be lost without. There's one item of lasting value that would hurt badly to lose, and that's my grandfather's violin. It's safe at my parents' house, since I don't trust my locks well enough to keep it in NYC.

Pictures of my nephew help me smile at work and ground myself; they remind me that while it's important to do my job, the job isn't important enough to sacrifice anything that really matters. If I lost the picture, I'd still have my nephew, and he's only getting more interesting and important as time goes by.

I have stacks of work to do on my desk, which I'm perfectly capable of doing; time-sensitive stuff that the whole group depends on me to do. It's a breeze, and if it's not, it's not. The importance of my work pales in comparison to the importance of filling out and faxing in my timesheet; I'm not here out of the goodness of my heart (though that goodness probably helped me get here). The most important thing about work is the paycheck.

I'm guessing that, even though my answer to my own question is pretty boring since I'm not near anything that matters tremendously to me right now, others' answers might be fun or revealing, like if someone's sitting next to a speargun or an Engima machine or a puppy dog.
posted by Hugh Janus 20 July | 10:36
Oops. Great-grandfather's violin.
posted by Hugh Janus 20 July | 10:37
My new ashtray. Over the past month, I broke two ceramic ashtrays due to clumsiness, so I bought 3 plastic ones at the dollar store. I was tired of putting out cigarettes in a plastic cup full of water.
posted by jonmc 20 July | 10:39
I think you've hit on an important point - it's the people in our lives that matter the most to us. (Or, at least, that's what I find is most important...) Your great-grandfather's violin is a wonderful touchstone. It's a way to have a concrete/tactile connection to someone.

For me, I have my hubby's wedding band on a chain around my neck, so that's always with me - it's my way of staying connected to him.

As for work, there's nothing here of personal value or interest, but I'd take the backup harddrive if we had to evacuate the building, and of course, my purse if possible....
posted by mightshould 20 July | 10:48
The most important thing to me in the world is gone and probably forever, but the most valuable thing near to hand is my wallet.

As I am sitting at my desk, at a job that means nothing significant to me, the things of nonmonetary, nonpractical (like the keys to my house) value within reach are minor at best: the printers blocks which spell my name that my mother bought me (which I like and dutifully cart from job to job, but have minor sentimental value compared to other gifts from my mother or compared to my mother herself); the HQ USAF mug from my Dad's last command, which holds pens on my desk (which, like the printer's blocks have minor sentimental value compared to other things which remind me of Dad and which compared to Dad himself have little value); a calendar an amazingly good friend sent me just to let me know I matter to her. I have a print-out of a hotel reservation, for the weekend I'm spending out of town with my sister who consistently gets me through more things than she'll ever know.

But I keep my life out of my office as much as possible. I like my life too much and am too indifferent to my office to mix the two.
posted by crush-onastick 20 July | 10:53
My dog is sleeping curled up just behind my chair. He's dreaming about chasing cats, and his paws are making little rhythmic noises on the plastic carpet protector under my office chair.

In the next room, my brother is watching his soap operas, and dozing. I hear his occasional snoring intermingled with voices of soap opera actors and commercials.

To my right, my great-grandfather's 7 jewel Elgin pocket watch ticks audibly, and by the end of the day, it will have lost the 90 seconds it loses every week, and it will be time to wind it, and set it again. And off in the distance, I hear the distinctive heavy beat of turboprop engines, low, maybe from the submarine chasers that fly by, at a mile or two remove, several times a day, every day.

And if I really concentrate, I think I can hear the Bermuda grass growing in the sunshine filtered through the afternoon thunderclouds, refreshed by last night's torrential rains. Time to mow again, this evening.
posted by paulsc 20 July | 11:12
Within view - the dogs.

And in a lot of real ways the two dogs are the most important thing to me in my immediate world - I'm just much happier with them around.
posted by fluffy battle kitten 20 July | 11:53
My children. I hear them playing in the pool and squirting one another with the hose. Before I rub sunscreen on their firm little cheeks and nose I must kiss them.

My husband's NE Patriots cap is on the desk, it reminds me of him.

On the way to the store this morning, once again I thought how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful place.

The window next to the desk. The view is bright and sunny. There are little lizards on the glass and the fuchsia flowers are so pretty.

An email from a girlfriend reminding me that tonight is dinner on the beach.

Family and friends are the most important things in my life, and always will be. My work is meaningful, but it doesn't sustain me emotionally. I wouldn't be lost without it.

I can't think of any object that I hold dear, other than my wedding ring and art projects done by my children.
posted by LoriFLA 20 July | 11:58
I'm in the kitchen, and my husband is sitting across the table from me. He's thinking about things... now he's asking me why I'm looking at him. I said it's because I love him. Ah. Okay, he loves me too. :)

Next would be the laptop... then on the bankers lamp on our kitchen table, I have an antique crystal pull that I got in an old shop in New Orleans. It's been with us a long time. And my glass of beer. It's only half full, but I really do love it.
posted by taz 20 July | 13:04
I can hear the clickety-clack of my brother smacking our old family eMac's keyboard chatting online and chuckling in the next room. I'm so glad I'm back home for a while after being gone for the better part of five years (and can hear everyone argue about who's responsible for breaking the space bar again). When I left for college, he was 12, and now he's 17! With long curly (cortex-like!) Jesus hair, and hard math homework I can't help him with anymore, and incredible talent in the kitchen.

I hear the landscapers' leaf blowers in some far corner of our condo complex, which reminds me of my incredible wealth and privilege compared to my neighbors last year in Indonesia. And I can hear the buzz of traffic and airplanes, which reminds me that I live in an amazingly diverse global city set in a huge, fantastically dramatic landscape, with virtually everything I could ever want (materially and culinarily, at least!) literally at my fingertips.

It's actually times like this that I go on cleaning sprees and throw out a bunch of old junk, because it all just pales in comparison to my relationships with my family and the wider geography of what is, for me and for many people, an amazing place to be in the world.

*whuffles*
posted by mdonley 20 July | 13:39
I was feeling a bit isolated and out of sorts earlier today, but just as I was leaving work, carless, a friend called and offered to come pick me up at the train station and drive me home. He showed up with his son, a sturdy little guy with a radiant smile.

I've had dinner: ceviche, greens, perfect tomatoes tasting like sunshine. My dog's curled up next to me on the sofa, and I bet my mom will call later tonight.
posted by tangerine 20 July | 21:14
I'm on the train, so the most important thing that is close to me at the moment is MetaChat. Or my iPod - I'm torn.
posted by dg 22 July | 16:18
Hi MetaChat! || Professional programmers, please help me with my resume

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