The Meerkat Muse: 28th of January, 2026
Here we go again. January has all-but concluded, so we have already chalked off one month. What has been made of 2026’s opening gambit?
Painful Missions
In the past, I have lamented on the shoddy double-standards wielded by an employee of another showroom. They are not my favourite person by any means, so I can’t say I was overly thrilled when my manager put forward the possibility of having to cover this showroom with this person. What prompted me to put my name forward – even half-heartedly – was the desire to be a team player, since if nothing else it would show a willingness to be helpful in the eyes of the business.
In the end, the day was not as painful as I had feared, albeit I still can’t say I have particularly warmed to this person, and I am in no hurry to go back. The experience also ended on a rather troublesome note. I got the train home, and when I got back to my town, there was a poor soul unconscious (and fearfully, perhaps not breathing) on the platform. Staff and passengers lent aid, and the paramedics arrived, at which point I got out of the way. I wasn’t able to do much and didn’t really want to bear witness to what was going on. I hope the guy is alright.
Busy Days
I might have brought some of the intensity from the other showroom back to mine. The Saturday following my adventure saw a lot of people and a lot of appointments, with tremendous potential for sales. Whether they pan out or not will depend on my efforts, so here goes nothin’, let’s see what I can do. On the flipside, slightly less frantic days would be sorely appreciated!
Tangerine Tantrums
I’m loathe to give Trump more airtime, but his recent posturing, and his introduction of tariffs over Greenland, merits a critical response. He is now taking to economic warfare against allies, in order to grab land that is all about exploitation of resources and nothing to do with security. Under the NATO arrangement, the USA can station bases and troops in Greenland, if they so desire. If they want, they can make deals with Denmark over the natural resources there. Trump does not want such deals, so instead he is attempting to coerce and bully to get what he wants.
Awful News
A good friend of mine, and colleague at work, has told me they are going through something absolutely terrifying, something I would not wish upon my worst enemy. To respect their privacy that is all I shall say on the matter, and I am sending them all my love and hope. This is not the first time a close friend of mine has been hit with bad news recently, and this serves as another reminder to cherish every moment we have on this earth. It is precious and all-too fleeting, so hold your loved ones close. Don’t waste time on hate.
The Sniffles
In the wake of such bad news about my friend and colleague, it seems my body decided to offer a physical reaction to emotional trauma, with the onset of a cold. I immediately went into combat mode, taking cold and flu medication from the very first inkling in my sinuses that something was amiss. I absolutely despise having colds, and I resent how the human body, which can be so resilient in so many ways, is also so fragile and vulnerable in others. Not for the first time, I have to wonder that if – if – we have a designer, were they even remotely competent? It doesn’t look like it, considering the horrible crap my friends have been through recently.
Guilty Frustrations
It hasn’t taken long for me to feel bad about feeling under additional pressure. Work is tumbling down to my desk, and under the circumstances I can’t dispute this, but it is nonetheless aggravating. I then end up feeling guilty, because it’s hardly fair to feel this way. I also know that this will only get worse. Circumstances being what they are, I will be assuming more responsibilities at work in the not-so-distant future, which comes at a time when I could really do with them. I don’t particularly know what to do, and I suspect I’ll be fumbling my way along without any real plan.
On the other hand, maybe I’ll step up as a leader? As a manager? What choice will I have? It’s sink or swim time.
The Persisting Bug
My hopes for the cold to pass quickly, and in a relatively minor manner, were rather dashed by the onset of sinus pain on Friday morning. Alongside the paracetomol I aimed to raise my body temperature, by cranking up the thermostat at work and at home, and wearing my hoodie. The theory was that I would burn the cold out of me, one way or another. Given everything else going on, feeling tired, groggy and sick was not useful!
College Courses
We’ve reached a point where my daughter is now weighing up possible college options, which is scary. My baby is certainly no longer a baby, and given a handful of years, she will officially be an adult. I am not ready for this, not at all! Sometimes it seems as though time can crawl, on other occasions it can feel impossibly fast, as though I’ve blinked, and my daughter has gone from the newborn I cradled to a vibrant, thoughtful and creative young woman.
Her creativity is astonishing, and I wear the proof of that on my skin in the form of my dragon tattoo, which is one of her creations. The imagination she has is truly beautiful, and it reflects her soul. Her college course will aim to showcase this, and I will do everything in my power to support her in her aims. Reach for the stars my amazing angel, and I shall reach with you.
Six Years
The other day marked precisely six years since I started work with my current employers. It was a very different situation back then, marked by a somewhat more relaxed corporate structure, some somewhat bewildering policies regarding payment of commission, and alternate five-and-a-half day weeks. I also had to adapt to the small culture shock of 8am starts, as opposed to varying between 9am and 11am starts with my previous employer. Still, between the role being a lot closer to home and – back then – considerably less stressful – it was a no-brainer to take it.
Virtually no sooner had we opened the doors to our spiffing new showroom, we were closing them again for the first covid lockdown. I for one was furloughed for several months, though in that time I was able to complete the first version of The Awakening, so I felt I achieved something. This did not stop the whole lockdown spell feeling so surreal, and I do not yearn for a repeat.
Six years on and it has probably been clear from my blog entries that my enjoyment for my job has diminished, and now, as referenced earlier, issues for colleagues and friends are going to be make the situation so much harder. This is not to say that there are no fond memories from the past six years, because of course there are, and I certainly would not wish to return to my previous employer, for a number of reasons. Still, I cannot shake my desire to leave, even though to do so now may be seen as a betrayal. Circumstances are tough, and they will get tougher, and my colleagues would probably be more than a little pissed if I jumped ship.
My frustrations with work were not helped by the sort of Saturday that saw swarms of people coming through the door, and not enough hands on deck to cope with them all. Whinging children did not contribute to a positive mood, especially the last one, who was making some very strange disgruntled noises. Being short-staffed is understandable, given the situation, and I cannot begrudge my colleague their circumstances, but there is stuff piling up on my shoulders that I do not need. I may think differently once my cold clears, as I tend to be more morose when I am ill.
I am so past lengthy appointments with fussy customers.
Onward
February is upon us. It’s a short month, and yet one that will see my family and I pack in a few hopefully interesting activities. Stay tuned, and take care all!
‘Kat Comments