I got called a ‘man of mystery’ today. I don’t know why; there’s not much to me.
It could be that I’m quiet and don’t engage a lot in office hijinks. I can’t actually: I’m way too old to be in on the 20s banter zone, and I’m way too unsettled to join in with the tired-because-of-small-children lot. I’m not cynical enough to stay at the pub complaining about ‘management’, and I’m not ‘managery’ enough to ‘bluesky’ those anti-cynical corporate values we all have to pretend to believe in.
That leaves me then as a quiet ‘man of mystery’. And not even an ‘international’ one! A sort of boring Bond who sits at a desk and argues for the use of ‘either’ to refer to a list of more than two options. Queen and Country yes, but with a spellchecker. I’m basically Basil Exposition.
Well. It’s inspired me to be inquisitive about others. Let’s do away with the fear of breaching the politeness gap! Let’s bury the myth that personal questions are pathways to the HR office; I don’t believe it. And even if I did, I think it’s worth the risk.
Perhaps there are others leading interesting lives who’d like someone to know. Perhaps shyness holds some of them back; perhaps fear of being ostracised or judged.
Well. Perhaps there are more men and women of mystery out there, waiting for their time to step out of the shadows, find a tribe, and make a friend. One question might just unlock them!
If not... er... I’ll be in HR.
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