I can't f*cking even

Some days I just can't fucking even. Some days, it's like the planet fell off it's axis and everyone is an alien walking around in an Edgar suit from Men In Black (including me and if you're too young for the reference, look it up. Trust me.). On those days, I find myself staring blankly at meeting participants thinking, "what. the. actual...?"

Those days are what they are. Full moon Mercury retrograde, Jupiter cazimi-shazimi, Gemini milkshake, I don't know ... blame it on whatever... it just is.

Obviously we still have to act like real people and refrain from saying our inside thoughts out loud - or in my case, keeping my facial expressions in check. But they happen. They happen often and we have to figure out how to roll with it.

We're all human, we all have our moments. Think about it this way... you likely spend more time with your coworkers than your kids or your spouse. If you want to strangle your spouse or children occasionally, chances are, you'll also have these moments with your coworkers. This is especially true when we're talking about complex decisions, high value or high risk projects, and long term implications, which is very different from convincing your three year old to put her socks on or telling someone what drawer the spatula is in for the 500th time despite them having lived in the same house for as long as you have.

A couple of years ago, a colleague gave me one of my favourite coffee mugs during a particularly challenging project that left us logging copious amounts of overtime trying to reign in the constant scope creep and deliverable changes. I bet you can guess what it said...

YEP...

I couldn't think of a more appropriate and accurate gift of camaraderie and shared misery for that project.

For the remainder of that project (and beyond), I would fill it up in anticipation of the nonsense a full afternoon of back-to-back meetings brings. Each time someone used a ridiculous buzzword (close the loop or new normal), or contradicted themselves, repeated someone else's idea as their own, or did a complete 180 from the deliverables of a project already more than half complete, I would take a sip with wide eyes while watching my colleagues stifle their smiles and drink from their own mugs and suddenly, all was well in the world again.

That's it. That's the advice I have today. Essentially, laugh about it, don't take things too seriously because some days there is not a productive, adult, super professional way to go about things. You are entitled to a day that you just can't fucking even, and then as always, life goes on.