Got milk crate?

I managed to find a metal mesh milk crate in a little designer-organizer boutique store (no plain old plastic milk crates in Scottsdale, apparently). It is ugly and bizarrely designed, to the point of compromising its actual strength. Sigh. What makes people produce poorly designed products?? This thing is actually made of more material than it actually warrants, which means it is probably pretty expensive to produce, but the design of said materials is so poor, so strangely arbitrary, that the darned thing isn't even as strong as a plain old plastic milk carton. Nice work, you crazy container designers. I guess it's supposed to be an aesthetically pleasing object. Too bad it's not.

Don't get me started about design. We are having design wars at work. One business unit seems to have decided that it should determine what we design. Oops, forgot about including designers!! No worries. We can have unqualified people dream up crazy ideas, and then tell the designers to make it. Yeah, that's sure to work. I imagine the container manufacturer was working under the same premise.

Okay, aside from the design issues at work, there are also major issues about control of the organization. Hey, I'm the first person to admit to fascistic tendencies. I'm singleminded and I have lots of energy and I can use language to sound like I always know what I'm talking about, so it's easy enough for me to run roughshod over the rest of the world. But geez, let's have a little self-awareness, people!! At least I have the grace to be abashed when I realize my ideas are impacting other humans, who do have the right to opinions and autonomy and respect. Sigh. So business units are pitted against each other. My boss is being extremely gracious--she's taking the high road. I have a zen commitment to right action, so I'm happy she's decided to go that way, but goodness, I sure am curious to see if the high road pays off.

Good versus evil. Really, is this something that should play out at work?? Yeah, yeah, I know it does all the time, for probably 99% of the population. Why do we create these soap operas for ourselves?? I always think about when I am a little old lady on my deathbed: I don't want to look back over my life and see my energy spent on years of corporate politics. YUCK!

Must. Rise. Above.

First thing Monday morning, one of my work friends came into my office, looked at me, and before either of us had said a word, announced, "You're on edge." I laughed my head off. He was so right and it was so stupid of me to be wound up at 8:30 on a Monday morning. Perspective, perspective.

At an afternoon meeting, another friend passed me a note. I opened it and read: "F**k this sh*t." Again I cracked up. I've been trying to keep that sense of humor all week.

So back to the crate. It's a good thing to lie across a milk crate (or a mesh crate, as the case may be). What is most apparent is that I have tight hip flexors. I tucked my legs under, a la kapotasana, and discovered just how ridiculously tight. Okay, so time to think about hip flexors more. And the shoulders/upperback-over-the-lip-of-the-crate stretch rocks.

Practice was good. A respite from my busy mind. Threw the crate in at the end.

Ready for another day.