Work's comfort corner

I decided when I went home for lunch to find a "woobie" to take over to work and leave on my desk for....well, for as long as I need it there.

I hunted though the few big Ty animals I had, but none of them seemed to suit (I think I must have given some away some years back; I'm sure I had more at one point).

But then I found the lavender filled bunny I got one Christmas (and can't sleep with, because apparently when my allergies are bad, lavender makes my eyes hive up if I'm close to it). So I took Bunny over to work with me.

And then spent about 20 minutes clearing off a spot next to my computer monitor to set her down. But I now have a comfort-corner at work:



While clearing that spot off, I also found the tiny three-legged Chanchito and a little dragon statue friends in grad school (so: like 25 years ago) gave me. And the photo of my family and my Uncle Bill's family - also 25 years ago now, but in happier times, after we had all climbed "Old Baldy" (a very tall hill) near his beach house. I set down a little hand towel that came in a Doki Doki box (and which I never used for its intended purpose) and arranged the things.

I also realize now that my grandfather's poem ("To the Steger") and the list of "Why I Teach" that came from my dad are also very close by (you can see the poem in the photo) and also a postcard a friend sent me, and a paper heart from one of the kids at church. And it's not visible here, but I have a nice magnet of a small waterfall in Australia that one of my ITFF friends sent me.

So I have a little comfort-corner at work. I'm sure if any of my colleagues (and now, any of my students, as I have told them about why I might not be on my A game this fall) sees it, they'll get why.

One of my colleagues - one of the new guys - DID see it, right after I set it up, but he didn't comment. He's still not able to access some things and he needed some stuff downloaded and sent to him (He can get e-mail but he cannot access the online content from one of the textbook publishers yet, but I can).

I'm happy to do this. I remember when I was new here and had some difficulty establishing stuff I needed for teaching, and people helped me. So you turn around and help the new people because you got help. (Or even if you didn't, because why make people go through the junk you had to if you can prevent them from having to?)

Even though it was an emotionally-crummy day for me, it felt good to help him. And I also realized: this is one way I can honor my dad's memory, because he always helped colleagues and students when they needed it.