.
Twenty-four years ago, I ran my life in boxes. The most prominent from these boxes were the ones I labeled ‘Work’ and ‘Personal’.
Twenty-four years ago, I moved heaven and hell to make sure that ‘Work’ did not take hold of ‘Personal’. My personal life remained personal, and nobody from my ‘Work’ box had anything to do with it. Consequently, whatever happened on my professional plane must stay there. They did not mix and strike an imbalance on my system I had learned to build and protect over the years.
Twenty-four years ago, I never believed in the philosophy behind Google Plus’ Circles or the concept behind the Venn diagram. There were only two shades of people in my life, and they never, ever intercept. One could only be white or black, and I chose where they fit in my black-and-white world.
I never mixed business with pleasure. I had officemates, and I had friends, and my life was as simple as that.
(Yes, Gabriel García Márquez was right: we have three lives—the public one, the private one and the secret one.)
Thus, it never came as a surprise to me how officemates would only know me for my work. And my friends would know me for who I really am—and that would include how an idiot or a genius I can be, depending on the situation.
(I do not have what you call a quasi-friend or a real friend, because I may be civil, funny and open to you, but you will never be my friend unless I tell you the deep, dark and horrid secrets of my life.)
Twenty-four years ago, I ran my life in boxes. The most prominent from these boxes were the ones I labeled ‘Work’ and ‘Personal’.
Twenty-four years ago, I moved heaven and hell to make sure that ‘Work’ did not take hold of ‘Personal’. My personal life remained personal, and nobody from my ‘Work’ box had anything to do with it. Consequently, whatever happened on my professional plane must stay there. They did not mix and strike an imbalance on my system I had learned to build and protect over the years.
Twenty-four years ago, I never believed in the philosophy behind Google Plus’ Circles or the concept behind the Venn diagram. There were only two shades of people in my life, and they never, ever intercept. One could only be white or black, and I chose where they fit in my black-and-white world.
I never mixed business with pleasure. I had officemates, and I had friends, and my life was as simple as that.
(Yes, Gabriel García Márquez was right: we have three lives—the public one, the private one and the secret one.)
Thus, it never came as a surprise to me how officemates would only know me for my work. And my friends would know me for who I really am—and that would include how an idiot or a genius I can be, depending on the situation.
(I do not have what you call a quasi-friend or a real friend, because I may be civil, funny and open to you, but you will never be my friend unless I tell you the deep, dark and horrid secrets of my life.)
