We had a free day on Sunday, Sam and I. We didn’t have to go into the office and we didn’t have a hundred things to do around the house. It’s not often those days come around so we weren’t sure what to do with ourselves. We decided after not much deliberation to take a driving tour by the homes of the people I work with.
We live on a busy street and lots of people know which house is ours. But I’ve worked at the same company for the past 10 years and have never once wondered where anyone else lived. (See – it IS all about me!) I know in general of course –this person lives up north, this one in Leawood, and this one in Olathe, but I’ve never wondered about the specifics. A few weeks ago, after I realized my old house had been torn down, I started wondering about it. Where did my co-workers live? What did their houses look like?
We went to Culvers so Sam could have a ButterBurger (I had a diet Pepsi) and while we were there we looked up home addresses from our Christmas card list. We planned our route and started off. The first several were in Leawood, a couple more in Overland Park, a drive thru Mission Hills and a final pass through Westwood.
It was interesting, and more so than I expected. I found myself a little apprehensive as we stopped for a moment in front of each house. I felt like I was spying, or reading a private journal, and I couldn’t tear myself away. Sam would be inching the car forward and I would be pleading with him to give me just one more minute to take it all in. Some of the houses were more or less what I expected. Some were not. Each house reminded me that there was a full life being lived outside of the hours I spend with my co-workers.
I wished I could draw some profound wisdom from this experience. I think there is something there because in the 24 hours since the tour, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about it, and I even dreamed about it. I’m just not sure how to put it into words. I’ll let you know if I figure it out.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I find what you did to be absolutely fascinating. I have so many questions now!
Do you feel closer to your co-workers or farther apart now after seeing where they live?
It WAS fascinating, I still can't get over it. For the most part, I feel closer to them, because I have this additional insight into their lives. But that insight has raised questions as well. What does your home really say about you? I wouldn't want to be judged on the exterior of our house (peeling paint, in need of new landscaping, lawn always slightly overgrown, etc.), and yet many of the observations that could drawn about me based on my house would be true.
I think homes, like books, shouldn't be judged by their upkeep. Home is where the heart is, not where the immaculate lawn is. The squeeze is never worth the juice.
The fact that you wanted to know your co-workers beyond the cursory "Hey, how's it going? How was your weekend Jim, (Not that I care)" tells me you wanted /needed insight into their lives. A better understanding of what makes them tick, the route they drive, the shops around them, restaurants.. HOW they live.
Sounds like a worthwhile empathy tour to me.
Post a Comment