Not a briefcase guy

Hi there. This post is a return in part to a regular feature where I offer up a random collection of observations, thoughts, poems, drawings and other crumbs. Hope you enjoy. More from me at the end.

Because my dad always took a briefcase to work, I just assumed that when I got older I would eventually get a briefcase too. And presumably the kind of job that would require a briefcase.

I was never quite sure what that looked like, or even when and how it might happen, but I always expected that I had plenty of time to figure it out.

There were some initial concerns by my late twenties. By this point I’d already worked a few design jobs, and I suspected none of them were leading me towards eventual briefcase ownership. For one, the industry seemed far too casual and non-serious. I became acutely aware of this at one particular job when I started wearing shorts to work. It occurred to me that shorts and a briefcase might be difficult to pull off.

I still hadn’t worked things out by my thirties. At 32 I became a digital nomad. I moved to Thailand and got a project with an ad agency animating a butterfly wearing underpants. I reassured myself that I still had time, and by 40 things would have fallen into place. Then 40 came and went, and now at the age of 43, I am still working within the creative industry and have never felt further away from the kind of life and career that would require a briefcase. To make matters worse, I also work remotely, so now I wear shorts at home.

It does feel like I’m beginning to run out of time, but I still hold out hope that in the coming years I will manage to finally sort my life out. I’m still not sure what that looks like, but I know it involves carrying a briefcase to work.

I have come up with the idea to start claiming anonymous quotes as my own. I figure there’s plenty out there so I might as well scoop them up and boost my profile a bit.

For instance, if I hear anyone share a quote attributed to anonymous or unknown, I will roll my eyes and then say something like: ‘yeah, “anonymous”’, doing air quotes with my hands. If the person presses me on it, I’ll just say that I don’t want to make a big deal about it. ‘Just keep it to yourself’, I’ll tell them discreetly.

Eventually word will get around. There’ll be some pushback of course. Some folk will try and call me out. ‘You the guy trying to claim all the anonymous quotes?’, they’ll say.

I’ll just smile and look off into the distance. ‘Boldness is the fruit of hope’ I’ll reply.

Then I’ll do the air quotes with my hands again.

“Anonymous”.

I appear to be aging like a fine wine

as in, the wine is fine.

It’s nothing fancy

just dry, dusty grapes

slowly being pressed down by father time

with notes of arthritis

and ever increasing insurance premiums.

I spotted this desk chair whilst out during a walk in nature.

I like to think that the person who left it here just pushed away from their desk one day and kept rolling until they arrived here, and then simply decided to start a new life out in the wild.

Hope you enjoyed that. If you did, please give the post a like by clicking the heart button, and let me know what you thought in the comments. Do you have any weird notions from childhood that you’ve carried through to adulthood? Have you ever enjoyed a period of briefcase ownership? Did you roll away from your corporate job and are now living in the wild?

That’s it from me. Hope you’re all well. Take care and see you again soon.

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