CANDY BOWL

This is the candy bowl at my work for all of the employees, clients and business partners to enjoy. They periodically throughout the day come up to the front foyer, pause at my desk, grab a candy and make small talk with me. It is so fun to watch people fight for a conversation relative to the both of us just so they can have a piece of candy.

Are people embarrassed at grabbing a treat?

Do they think I will judge them for wanting a small square of chocolate?

Is their pride hurt for enjoying useless calories?

The employees come over to my desk and just take a piece of candy with a swift grab and leave. It is almost as if they are rushing back to their desk for a very important phone call that I did not send into their office because no one called. They do not talk to me or make eye contact with me. No random questions to justify their actions but instead they hold their head up high with pride as they snack on that candy from the bowl.

Then you have the clients that come in and grab a candy as they ask for whomever they are meeting. Usually, I have them take a seat and wait until they are ready to be seen and without fail, in the meantime, they always sneak back up to my desk and take another piece. The hand motion of getting a chocolate and unwrapping it is almost always followed by statements like:

"Oh I am just SOOOO hungry"

"These are my favorite candies."

(and my personal favorite, whispered with a stooped head holding up the candy to my eye level)

"I am just going to grab another. I am sorry."

Lastly, our business partners strangely make their way down the hall and to my desk, suspiciously looking at me and then the candy bowl and back to me asking me all sorts of questions. Questions I believe they already know the answers to but they just would rather have me fill up the conversation time so they keep their mouth busy eating a delectable piece of sugar and not look so guilty. They stand there for moments at a time pushing the conversation into further awkwardness to alleviate their red-handed pleasure of only wanting candy and not really caring about me but trying to seem polite.

WHY?WHY?WHY?

Trust me, I am not judging them. I don't care what they eat throughout the day. I am not counting their calories or finding them rude if they don't talk to me. Chances are, I have had more candy than they have. They just need to own it! For those of you who know what I am talking about, isn't it great? I just love watching and deciphering their facial expressions as they approach my desk. For those who have no idea, you are missing out! Truly!