Let the Light In

I work in an office building downtown.  My office is big and there are three really large bank windows that face a concrete garage.   It’s a beautiful view.   I have blinds that I keep open to let the light in.

Some of the attorneys I work with are less fortunate.  Their offices are smaller and they have no external windows.  For reasons unknown to me, the designer of the office space added windows beside the doors to those offices that are nearly the height of the doors.

The two attorneys who manage our office have large offices at the entrance to our space. Their offices have one entire wall of windows that faces the reception area.  There is a strip of the window walls to those offices that is grayed out.

The place where I work takes health and wellness seriously.  In that regard, we are all allowed to participate in a fitness activity three hours a week on the clock.  It’s a wonderful benefit.

The people who work in the cubicles in our office space use conference rooms to change into clothes suitable for their preferred fitness activity.  When the conference rooms are being used for changing clothes, a sign hanging on the door reads “Please Knock Before Entering.”

Those of use who are lucky enough to have offices, change into our gym clothes in our individual offices.  When people change clothes in the offices that have windows beside the doors, they turn the lights off and go over into a corner of their offices that is not visible from outside the window.  Or at least they think.

Similarly, when the two managing attorneys change clothes, they turn the lights off in their offices and go to a corner of the office not visible to the outside.

Today, one of my colleagues without an external window sent me an email asking a question.  I left my office and walked over to his to discuss the question with him.

When I arrived, his door was closed and the light was out.  I could see through the window that his computer was on.  So, instinctively I looked to see if he was in there or on the phone before knocking on the door.

There he was changing his clothes!  Whoops! Whose being a creeper now?  I felt so bad also a little outraged because what genius decided to put those windows in that space knowing that people change clothes in their offices?  (I should point out here that these offices are new.  The windows were put in just a couple months ago.)

And my colleague, what was he thinking?  Doesn’t he know people can see him changing clothes through the window?

Today was not the first day that this happened.  It is a systemic problem.

This afternoon I decided to go to the gym myself.  (Lately it has been a struggle.  It’s just so much easier not to go to the gym.  But I persisted.)

Just like I’ve been doing the past several months, I changed clothes in my office.

I took off my top and put on a sports bra. Then I noticed something I’d never noticed before– a car driving through the parking lot.  Wait! What was it doing there?

Only then did I realize that I’ve been flashing people in the parking lot for the past several months.

It simply had not even occurred to me that there was anyone in the parking lot.   I am certain I would have been more discreet if that building were an office building or an apartment building because who wants to be the Ugly Naked Gal?  Not me.

I’ll be collecting my tips soon.

Love,

J