Working from Home

Switching from the office to working from home brings all sorts of changes. You have to figure out the technology side, of course. It’s important to set up some kind of workspace, and then make sure there’s nothing embarrassing in the background and that your sweats don’t show when you get on a video conference call. If you have kids and/or a partner also trying to do school/work at home, you need to make sure everyone has a place and the equipment necessary. You also have to adjust to the loss of face-to-face time with your co-coworkers. But sometimes you can make new ones.

This is Chirpy McChirps-A-Lot, a Carolina Wren. One website described Carolina Wrens as “small but chunky,” which seems a little insensitive, but can also describe me, so we have that in common. He’s fairly new here, but he’s made a strong showing so far. We have a semi-open floor plan here, so I see and hear him every day. Thankfully, he’s very conscientious about social distancing and keeps at least six feet away. He pops up fairly early – I’ll have to talk to him about not setting such a high standard for the rest of us to meet.

Sometimes he shows up with food, which he doesn’t share. It’s ok, because I don’t share my food either. You don’t want to risk getting someone sick or creating an awkward situation by offering something they’re allergic to or have dietary restrictions about.

To create a break in the routine, we’ll sometimes play little games. Chirpy’s pretty good at hide-and-seek, but he hasn’t fully mastered it yet.

Other times we stop and stretch, because we know that it’s not healthy to just stay in one place all day.

While we’re both dedicated to our work, it’s good to spend some time getting to know one another beyond the job. Chirpy is an amazing singer. At first he was a little shy about it, hiding behind his wall so I couldn’t see.

But he started to gain confidence after a bit.

Now he likes the spotlight. He’s got an amazing voice and it brightens my day to listen to him, although sometimes he picks an inconvenient moment to really let loose. But hey, if you have a song in your heart, sometimes you just have to let it out.

I’ve noticed recently that Chirpy seems to be spending a lot of time with another bird around the office – they seem to have some secret meeting place just out of sight. Not sure what HR says about workplace relationships, but I’m not going to tattle. I like his song.

So yup, quarantine is going quite well here. Hope you’re all staying safe and entertained in some way too!