Three of Cups

The team is fun and the mood is good. The hard conversation about the work has been postponed by every good lunch.

What is not being said at work because saying it would spoil the atmosphere?

Say it this week, in a one-to-one, not in the group.

Money is going into a good time, and the good time is real. It is also the place you go so the number never gets your full attention.

What did you spend this month to avoid an evening with the figures?

Look at the figures tonight, sober, alone, for 20 minutes.

You keep things light with them, and it works. It also means the conversation that would deepen this never quite happens.

What have you turned into a joke that you needed to say straight?

Say it straight once this week, and let the silence after it sit.

You are asking everyone what they think, and the asking has become a way of not deciding. A crowd cannot choose for you.

Whose opinion have you collected so you would not have to form your own?

Decide alone today, then tell them.

You are surrounded, busy, liked. Something underneath it is not being attended to, and the noise is arranged so you do not notice.

What are you avoiding by never being alone for long?

Cancel one thing this week and spend the time by yourself.

You are talking about the work with friends more than you are making it. The talk is warm. The work is cold.

When did you last work without telling anyone you were working?

Make something this week and mention it to no one.