Workplace pretense: You're Not the Only One

i don't even know if this counts as a confession really it just feels like something i gotta get out you know like a weird pressure behind my eyes all the time i guess maybe i'm just tired or… …

I’m a data analyst, right? …

It’s the steakhouse thing again tomorrow, and I just dread it, honestly. …

I just sit there in those Tuesday morning meetings at the nonprofit, where they’re all talking about bootstraps and “personal responsibility” and the sanctity of... …

And she's got this fancy real estate gig, selling million-dollar pads to people who probably don't even know what a time clock IS. …

It’s this prayer circle thing. …

I guess I’m just… used to it now, the smell of sizzling fat and the sound of my boss asking if I’m enjoying my “salad and water” again, smiling back and pretending I don't secretly wish the weekly… …

So, I’m a middle manager now (which is kinda cool, actually, for my age) and my whole department is basically all parents, like, suburban types, you know? …

I mean I put on these FAKE glasses to pitch “synergy” and “ideation” to a room full of suits, and honestly? …

But here I am, practically a senior citizen, still thinking about this young woman I used to see every morning at the Mercedes dealership. …

I stand there, head bowed, listening to them pray for inventory counts and safe forklift operation. …

Non-prescription. …

another tuesday another steakhouse, just smiling and nodding when the boss talks about “real food” and my brain is like, *dude* this is *so* not what i signed up for when i moved to the city, like… …

Okay so, anyone else ever feel like you’re doing a forensic examination of your own existence? …

A complete and utter train wreck. …

I’m a warehouse supervisor, right? …

Like, I’m a data analyst, right? …

My daughter, she's working in high-end real estate now. …

And she keeps dropping hints about "leadership presence" and "executive visibility" and how, you know, being a data whiz is great, but people gotta see you, see your *spark*. …

But now I have to be a tech wizard too? …