Personal Items

A friend of mine has turned in her notice.  We went to lunch today, and she said she had taken stock of her office to see what she would need to take home on her last day.

• One bottle of ibuprofen

That's it.  Her work area is small and not terribly private, and she didn't want it cluttered up with other things.  We both agreed that the symbolism of that bottle was not to be dismissed.

Since we returned to work this afternoon, I've been looking around at my office and contemplating what personal items I have.

• pathos plant
• kalanchoe plant, which, sadly, is not much longer for this world
• bamboo in a glass container
• pretty placemat for the plants to sit on
• card from the flowers Andrew sent me on my first vegiversary
• pretty bowl with rocks in it carved with "peace," "love," and "wisdom"
• word-a-day tear-off calendar
• notepad with personalized pieces of paper
• little blue Buddha statue
• black and white photo of Andrew and me in a frame I painted at a paint-your-own pottery place
• framed collage of photos of a walk we took in a state park
• electric tart burner
• Buddha greeting card from a friend
• cute cell phone holder
• hand lotion
• decent tissues (the work-provided ones are sandpaper)
• Buddha calendar
• framed picture of my dog
• another framed picture of me and Andrew from back in the day
• flower magnets
• striped magnets
• magnets shaped like thumbtacks  (I love me some office supplies.  I am not ashamed.)
• bumper sticker that says, "reading is sexy"
• a copy of the Cincinnati Reds 2011 schedule
• a "B" magnet
• a goldfish notepad
• a picture of my extended family (mom, siblings and their families) in a frame that says, "Our family is weirder than yours."*
• group photo of friends at a wedding
• alma mater magnet
• Master Gardener badge
• Super Grover postcard
• volunteer badge from a Dalai Lama event
• a couple magnets given to me by coworkers
• lip balm (2--one is sparkly)
• ibuprofen
• acetaminophen
• individual tubes of instant coffee
• allergy medicine
• matches
• mirror
• tape measure
• Mr. Sketch scented markers
• microwave popcorn
• packets of Splenda
• therapy word magnets
• notebook
• Rolaids
• neosporin
• anti-itch cream for bug bites
• Q-tips
• deodorant
• more hand cream
• antibacterial gel
• protein bars that taste terrible and should be thrown away
• diet cocoa powder
• powder to flavor bottles of water
• hair elastics
• fancy-colored ink pens (more than I'm comfortable telling you about)
• a monogrammed book weight
• sparkly gray fingernail polish
• cool post-its
• fancy paperclips in various sizes, one with a giant frog on the top
• blank thank you notes
• a pencil with a Buddha pencil topper
• a cardigan

If my coworker has worked here for two and a half years and has one item, does this mean they'll have to haul my dead body away from this office?

Mayhap.

*It's funny 'cause it's true.