Assignment #1!

Alrighty, assignment #1:

Actually take my lunch break this week. Woah-ee, starting big. Well, it is only a four day week, so hopefully I can make it. You may laugh, and if so, you have WAY healthier work habits than myself, who normally nukes my leftovers, and goes right on back to my desk to do a combo of: work e-mail, gmail, and facebook, while normally answering my desk line, and work cell and personal cell if calls or texts come in. Sometimes I ignore calls, (boundaries, go me!) and sometimes use the time to do some banal thing like call my car insurance, or slowly drink a glass of water while standing in front of the AC. But mainly I eat, multi-task and then am absorbed back into work as a matter of course. I can easily forget I've already eaten, because what's to remember? Have I truly enjoyed my food? Taken a moment for myself to center, recharge, or do any number of healthy things? The answer is typically no.

Coworkers are extremely respectful of the food on the desk = lunch, i.e. let's try and actually take our breaks, and one actually tiptoed out of the room when she saw me, mouthful of polenta, to save her question for after my delicious thirty minute break was up. When I first started, it was the hot dog days of September, and partly because I didn't know folks yet, partly because our office is pretty damn dumpy and dreary, and partly because being new is SO incredibly exhausting, I would eat my lunch perched on the porch, trying to focus on the rose bush a foot in front of me, instead of the general poverty and sketch-ness of the streets surrounding. I've known coworkers to go for walks on lunch- one of whom got solicited for sex work, all in all a brave endeavor, but not one that sounds particularly soothing. I once tried to have a game-time lunch in support group room, when I was obsessed with 'Things' but only one person came and it degenerated into planning an activity for support group based on the game. Which, was of course fun too, as I love to geek out on that sort of advocate-y stuff.

As Laura van der noot Lipsy said at a conference I was at recently, "Take your breaks! People fought hard so you could have those breaks in your work day!" She may have even said, 'people died so you can have your lunch break'. Apparently, even guilt for the activists that have gone before doesn't work, so now I am trying something new. I'll let you know how it goes this week- if you have found this practice to be helpful- or not, or have thoughts for healthier lunchtime or 15 min break to-dos, please do share! :)