I’m always a bit suspicious of company outings. I get that they’re a nice way to connect with co-workers in a different way. I just worry that sometimes they’re the only time people actually have fun together. Meaning, the actual work isn’t together or isn’t fun, and the outings are a compensation for that. I like being with others and I like having fun. I don’t like the idea of relegating either to once a quarter.
Which is why I don’t feel so bad that we hardly ever make it to the zoo. Tomorrow is my day with the monkeys and while all week I’ve been thinking I’ll take them to the zoo, it turns out we have actual ‘work’ to do instead. And we need some down time.
This is how it looks like our day will shake out: Early morning: laze around the house. Morning: playground/ haircuts/grocery store to shop for picnic in the evening. Mid-day: nap (hopefully for all of us). Afternoon: either haircuts or grocery store, which ever didn’t get done in the morning. Evening: picnic in the park across the street from our house, concert in said park, bedtime, adult time. As you can see, there’s no time in this busy schedule for a trip to the zoo.
I think that’s OK as long as I can build having fun into the other things we’re doing during the day. Luckily, the monkeys like getting haircuts. So that’s built in fun. If tomorrow they suddenly decide that they hate haircuts (not unlikely), I can always make it fun with the ultimate pay off: donuts. As for picnic planning, the monkeys are into it. I’ve gotten them involved in menu planning – it now involves about 6 kinds of fruit and popcorn, plus my additions – PB&J on challah and chicken salad sandwiches. As long as I remember that going to the grocery store isn’t just an errand to hurry through but is an experience for us all to enjoy, we can still have a really fun day without a special activity.
It’s not that I’m against going to the zoo, or company outings. It’s just that I want to make sure that fun and togetherness are baked into everyday activities, not something out of the ordinary. If we can make the work fun, then just think about how much fun the fun can be.
