The power of words.

Right now I'm in the middle of extreme data entry. Extreme in that it is pushing my attention span and anger threshold to the max. Apparently one of our parent companies decided that every center in this hemisphere must update their information and send it in at once.

Translation: 1500 centers send in one survey per center to my lovely little desk and I update all of their information in our database. Out of 1500 surveys, at least 65% of them are incorrectly filled out and I have to call the center to get the proper information.

Conversation: "Hi, this is (my name) from (my company). I'm calling about the survey you sent and wanted to know if (questionable information about location/services/hours) are correct."
Center staff: "Who are you?... What does your company do?"

Thus my days are spent explaining my company to the person who sent the survey in to my company! Heck, we're not even a company! We're non-profit! Those centers would not have clients if it were not for us! (note: we are not in the business of getting girls pregnant, spreading STDs, or kicking pregnant girls out of their homes.) Heck, we can even make the appointments for the girls for the center. We're flipping all-inclusive-help. Right, back to the surveys.

I hate these surveys. I mean, passionately despise them. Not only do I have to spend 3/4 of my DAY entering these surveys, but in order to complete my true job tasks these surveys must be finished. Here's an equation for you: hating surveys + loathing of entering the surveys + having to enter the surveys = low work productivity. Want those marketing reports? Want to know how well WV's billboard campaign ran last year? Too bad. O what? You want reimbursed for your travels? Hah. Try again. In fact, try again in a week.

Oh, what's that you say? Just enter them quickly and you'll be done with it? Nice idea, Einstein. Gee, why didn't I think of that? Just move along more quickly; it's just like ripping off a band-aid. Have I mentioned the inane, mind-numbing, gag-reflex inducing pain that is a survey? Have I mentioned that with each day of entering the aforementioned blindingly horrendous surveys, brain-cells flee by the thousands? All I have to do is glance at a survey and a grey mist begins enshrouding various parts of my brain. The left and right sides are now tinged, nay the borders are even more encroached upon, by a grey haze of nothingness.

Then every so often, someone from the outside (as in, everyone else in this office) will dare to stop their beautiful work day to inquire as to how I am doing. Bless them, Lord. May they always know of Your unfailing love.

So they move closer to this mass of turmoil that is my desk and speak to me. Usually, as I sit covered in this mountain of surveys, their voices come to me as rescuers come to those stranded in the depths of an avalanche. Is it possible? Could that be? No... it must be my imagination.... but wait! It is! There are voices out there and they are calling to me! Slowly and surely the haze retreats, ever so slightly, and brain functions being to churn into motion. Speech slowly makes its way to my mouth and I begin to utter a few monosyllabic grunts. Should that unfortunate being remain long enough they will gaze in utter amazement as my head pops out of these snowy-esque papers. Then as my lips form intelligible words, o the beautiful words, they will gaze fondly upon me as a parent does their child when they have just uttered those beautiful nonsensical words that most interpret as "da da," or "ma ma."

It is no wonder then that at the moment, my iPod is playing, on repeat, "Caught Out there," by Kelis (also known as "I Hate You So Much.") It is no wonder then that every night I scurry off to the gym for a run. I need my running time to ease my mind back into a properly functioning state. It's hard to head straight off to a people-friendly function as the shock is sometimes too much for my brain. If you've ever caught me right after work, please understand that it's not that I don't want to talk to you, I just can't comprehend and react with conversation. The blank stare and gaping mouth are not permanent, keep talking and I will respond within the half-hour. This also explains how after that half-hour of re-entry into society, I can't stop talking. It's as a semi taking off down the road. Slowly it moves along, snails beating it by furloughs on either side, then a lurch, an increase in speed, another lurch, and the speed nearly doubles. Then when the semi has reached full speed, try stopping it. Let me refer to Sir Issac Newton's First Law of Motion. Yes, my brain can be affected by inertia, not just physically, but mentally.

Now let me bring in the subject line for this post. The power of words. Communication is important, speaking to the people you're around is important. Silence may be polite, but there are times when it could not be more detrimental to the people around you. Pay attention to those with whom you interact and respond accordingly. Heed the words you use when you interact with them and never ever speak down to them, they might just be smart enough to understand you, yet caught in the grey haze. Remember also the actual power of your words with regards to you speaking them. This has been a fun post to write but I know it did absolutely nothing to inspire any positive/optimistic thinking towards my job. (see, vocab is definitely suffering, I dislike severely using "thinking," when I know there is another word that will substitute much more aptly). Singing "I hate you so much, AGHH," at my computer and mountains of surveys around me does nothing but urge me to hate them more. Forcing myself to like them is quite out of the question, burning them would be more satisfying (which I still might) but the longer I sit here and speak words of loathing upon them, I might as well be speaking that same ill will towards the people running the centers and the girls headed to them.