The Coffee Mug Exchange at Work

In January, someone at my office started a "mug exchange." Everyone brought in a mug from home, and we put them all in a box and drew one at random. You keep the mug you draw for a month, then switch again.

I didn't expect it to be so fun. My first mug said "World's Okayest Grandpa." My second was shaped like an owl. My third had a faded photo of someone's family on vacation in 1998, which led to a long conversation with its owner about her trip to the Grand Canyon.

Every mug comes with a story. People started writing notes and taping them inside. "This mug has been to three countries." "My daughter painted this in kindergarten." "This mug got me through my thesis."

It's the silliest thing we do. It's also how I learned that the quiet guy in accounting used to be a competitive yodeler.