In a change from the usual Monday back to work after the weekend routine, I'd managed to grab an extra 15 minutes kip this morning, ahead of a days training course at work. One that's all about taking positive energy and thought processes from your weekend and applying it to your working life, so as a head start they let us begin a generous 15 minutes later than usual.
Before hand, I was feeling a mix of curiosity and trepidation, heading towards the unknown. It was the kind of course they put you on at work when they want to try and motivate you to enjoy your day job more than your weekends and time out of work, which I have to admit, I was more than a little bit sceptical about whether or not that is possible. Plus factoring in that this course was held on a Monday, the first day back at work after everyone has been enjoying their weekends and that's a recipe for not being keen if ever there was one.
From the moment I arrived, I knew it was going to be a long day. Tables scattered around the edge of the room to make way for a circle of chairs in the middle, a plate of biscuits strategically placed ever so slightly out of reach, no space raiders and one of those trainers that you know you're never quite going to get on with.
There were 12 us all together. Someone from IT, 3 from the canteen, 2 from accounts, 4 from marketing, 1 from events and me. Almost someone from each department and with the exception of Marjorie, who sits 2 rows and 1 desk diagonally to the right away from me, they were all people I'd never met before. Although all in all, a collection of people who like me, seemed to have been chosen to attend the course for the common characteristics of looking deeply miserable on a Monday morning and excessively happy on a Friday afternoon.
It began with an ice breaker for all of us to get to know each other. So as we went around the room, everyone told their story. Some delving more into the depths of their darkest secrets and longer life stories than others.
At first it was interesting to hear their stories. Very intriguing listening to Marjorie's too, the person I thought I knew but really don't know at all. And then onto the next person, someone with no qualms whatsoever about providing way too much information, which don't worry, I'm not going to repeat.
In a way it was kind of like an alcoholics anonymous meeting with each of us being asked to introduce ourselves and give a little bit of history about ourselves too. Or like a blind date with someone who tells you just that little bit too much information, or their life story from the moment they were born, before you've even had the chance to ask them their name. Then in cases like this, chances are, you're really hoping that when you do find out what their name is, that there's been some kind of terrible mistake and that they're not really your blind date at all, that yours is the nice one on the table next to you and in fact, this over zealous chatterbox in front of you is not really your date at all. Wouldn't that be a relief.
But getting back to the point and the story of my day, there was no excitement of a date. Just this training course.
When the person before me had finally finished, it was my turn. I tried to keep it brief and told my ninja story.
And so I began ...
'Hello everybody. I am the Camping Ninja and I love camping. I come from a long line of ninjas in my family. My Great Ninja Grand Papa was the first ninja to go camping and the ninja love for camping has been passed down generation after generation in my family ever since. Growing up as a little ninja I used to spend every summer holiday away with my Ninja Mama and Ninja Papa, camping. Back in those days I was a simply a mere little ninja. My Ninja Mama would give me a bath in the oversize washing up sink at the campsite while my Ninja Papa would cook up a feast on a one burner camping stove, and that was my childhood. It wasn't until one day at scouts when we were doing our ninja badge and I was the only one to get my tent up within the 3 minute deadline that I too became a real fully fledged ninja. And that was the proud day that I became known as the Camping Ninja'.
Then the prying trainer asked me what it is about camping and the weekends that I enjoy the most. 'Tell me the difference between the negative feelings you feel towards working in the office and the positive thoughts you feel when you think about life outside of the office and how much you enjoy the weekends?' she said. 'Tell me about it. If we can try to capture that positive energy and these positive thoughts and bottle it ready to take back into the office tomorrow morning, then that's what today's session is all about'
Now I'm not really an office type person. I'm a camper at heart, through and through, so trying to use my love of camping to somehow make me like my work in the office more was always going to be hard. Mind games that I didn't really want to play along with and you know when they use the word 'session' that it's going to be messy.
'Think of the first image that comes into your mind at work and then when you're away camping at the weekend, and tell me what the difference is' she continued.
I was trying really hard to think of a polite way to put it into words without causing any offence to my office job. I pictured my outlook on life throughout a typical week to make the comparison, which on a week day is pretty much staring mindlessly at my keyboard and a blank computer screen and that's what I see through my eyes 9 to 5 Monday to Friday. And of course, I do always have my eyes open when I'm at work in the office. Always. Because just for the record, I've never actually fallen asleep whilst being at work. It was just a small doze that time. Tiny in fact. Camping Ninja with the eyes wide open that's me.
So the weekend compared to the office, pictured in a snapshot. It's camping bliss, blue skies, open space, freedom, fresh air, my tent and tranquillity, not even the sound of someone tapping away typing on a keyboard.
Well, wow, what could I say, how do you put that into words?
So I thought long and hard for a moment or two, trying to think of a word to describe it without sounding too negative, and after a long pause the wisdom I came out with, was this:
'It's just that work days are so qwerty'.
Oh well, nothing like being put on the spot to make you say something stupid, I thought, as I tried to ignore the distinctly unimpressed glare coming my way from the trainer.
Thankfully I am going away camping on holiday next week and will be well away from the office and that trainer. Perhaps, as she suggests I'll try and capture some of the camping vibe when I'm away, in a bottle to bring back to work with me. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps not.
To see the previous entries of the Secret Diary of a Camping Ninja visit http://www.campingninja.com/camping-info/category/31/The-Secret-Diary-of-a-Camping-Ninja