A Whole New World

Yes, you know that song.........admit it. You can hear it playing in your mind right now by some Disney Princess. Well, that's my world right now. A whole different ball game.

Over the past few days I've been doing something I never thought I would ever do. Let me take you on a tour of my new "lil world".

I knock on the back door at 6:55am and wait for someone to allow me entrance. I walk in with a smile and breeze my way up to the break room where that horrid time clock machine waits for me to place my punch on my card. I make my way back to where my computer sits. I'm surrounded by monitors just waiting to be woken up. I move the mouse and hear that familiar snap-crackle-pop of the screen coming to life. I begin my work. A full day---of data entry.

Whatever my preconceived views of data entry were.................they were right.

I sit at my desk typing number after number into the spreadsheets, willing my fingers to move as fast as possible over the 10-Key. I am no professional. I'll be the first to admit that. I listen to the person on my left as I hear a storm of CLICK-CLACK-CLICK-CLICK coming from her fingers as she flies over the keyboard. At times I get the feeling she's looking at me but I assure myself she's just looking at her second monitor. Not only does she know her 10-Key, she even finds time to snack on Frito's and the regular click-clack becomes more of a CLICK-CRUNCH-CLACK-CRUNCH.

I wait for those marvelous words to be shouted out across the floor at 9am by our floor "mom". BREAK TIME---such magic words. I savor my peanut M&M's from a certain stash and treasure my 15 minutes of "me" time. I head back down the long hall only to be reminded that if we're not outputting 5 sheets of data then we're not paying for ourselves. Now I have the 5 sheet quota to worry about.

I've never had the opportunity to sit in on a floor meeting until today. Mesmerizing, let me tell you. At times I wanted to snicker or let out a giggle but I kept it in. All I could think about was what my sister would be thinking if she were here and all the tidbits I'd store up to share with her on my lunch break.

I breathe easy after I head to lunch and am able to RELAX if but for 30 minutes.

As the afternoon wears on I find my finger speed dwindling and I realize that I'm not as fast as I was at 7am. I'm left with the constant reminder that speed is a need as I listen to the consistent CLICK-CLACK of my neighbor next door.

Data entry---it's a tough gig. Supervisors creeping up behind you, watching your every move, looking for ways they can critique you. What pressure!

Welcome to my temporary little world. From behind my computer screens I watch the floor for any signs of entertainment. You are your own source of happiness back there.

At the 2:00 break I remind my self that I have less than two hours to spend behind my computer. I tell my little fingers what a good job they've been doing and encourage them to keep it up just a little longer. When the clock finally rolls around to 3:30 I feel like rejoicing out loud but contain my excitement for fear of scaring those around me. I feel liberated as I make my final punch of the day on the time sheet. I gather my belongings and waltz out the back door as I feel the sunlight hit my skin. No more white lights, no more blinking computer screens, no more number crunching. All is well once again..............until tomorrow.

LOL!