The Day the Power Went Out at the Office

The power went out at our office building on a Thursday afternoon in August. No computers, no lights, no air conditioning. Our manager said we could go home. Nobody did.

Instead, we went down to the little park across the street. Someone bought popsicles from the corner store for everyone. Our very serious accountant revealed he could juggle and did so with three oranges. The interns organized a game of kickball with a balled-up jacket.

I've worked with these people for five years and learned more about them in two hours on that grass than in all our meetings combined. Our receptionist used to be a competitive Irish dancer. Our IT guy writes poetry. My manager has a terrible, wonderful laugh.

The power came back at five. Monday morning, someone had put a framed photo of the kickball game on the break room wall. It's still there.