Back on the boil again
For the last few months, since I started at my place of work, in fact, I have been deprived of a displacement activity so central to my very being that for a while wondered how I could possibly function without it: walking around the office on a refreshment run, boiling the kettle and making tea.
There’s something so calming about a quiet stroll around, saying hello to people, and being sociable. And the words “Anyone want a cuppa?†are like a soothing balm on my soul. Meditating just doesn’t quite give me the same feeling of serenity.
The only kettle in a hundred yard radius is defunct. It blew up the week before I arrived, and has not been replaced. I’ve been wandering aimlessly, my hand occasionally reaching out for a cup of non-existent tea, only to fall, empty and defeated back on to the keyboard. It’s been a sorry sight to behold.
But now, we have a new kettle! It boils water! It makes tea! My life is immeasurably improved. I just went on a beverage run, and used the kettle for the first time. It’s wonderful. I can tell that my productivity is going to soar.
The only catch is that in our tiny, 2 foot square kitchen, there is no plug socket. The only one close by is at shoulder height on the wall in the reception area. For now there is something on which to balance it, but once the enormous piles of ‘Caring Namibian Man’ 2006 calendars have been removed to a place of storage, making tea will involve standing, foolishly holding the kettle while it boils. That is unless I can invent a nifty kettle-levitation device beforehand, but honestly, I’m so involved with mastering papier maché at the moment that the chances are slim. Looking on the bright side though, I can see this will give much opportunity for small talk with office colleagues passing through the area.
In any case, I have before me a comforting cup of rooibos tea, for which I have slowly developed a liking. All I need now is a chocolate biscuit.