Caught Red-Handed on R U, OK? Day
An R U OK? Day story
On R U OK? Day, I got reported for pinching lollies that weren’t mine. I can explain.
On Thursday 10 September, my workplace left a little cup of goodies on everyone's desk: some lollies, something for a cuppa, and a note that read, "This isn't just a cup of goodies… It's a conversation starter disguised as snacks.”
The way I read it, the lollies were there to get us talking. It turns out they did, just not quite the way I expected.
A few of my workmates were working from home that day, so they asked me to keep their cups safe in my drawer. A trusted guardian of the goodies. What an honour.
Later they asked what was inside, so I tipped a cup out on my desk and snapped a photo: a Snickers, a Mentos, a Mintie and a few other treasures.
The offers came rolling in. "I can't have the Snickers, you take it!" wrote one. "I don't want mine either," wrote another. But I held firm. "I'll pop them back in the drawer," I replied, "and you can grab them when you're in."
Somewhere along the way, someone from another team spotted me. They didn't see a lolly guardian doing inventory. They saw Cathy, at someone else's desk, surrounded by someone else's lollies.
Word travelled fast. Before long, my manager was at my desk, asking me to kindly put them back. I laughed; sure, he was joking.
"Why do you think I'm here?"
That’s what he said. Fair question. I put them back.
And there, looking up at me from the desk, was the Mintie in its famous wrapper: It's moments like these you need Minties. I've never agreed with a lolly more.
The following week, someone left a cup of lollies on my desk. "Take that away from me right now!" I said, and a couple of my office mates burst into giggles.
In the end, those lollies got more people talking than anyone planned.
What still makes me laugh is that it was R U OK? Day. The whole day is about checking in with people, and nobody checked in with me. Not the person who saw me, and not the person they told.
To be fair, I'd probably have done the same. I knew exactly why those lollies were on my desk. Anyone walking past only saw the lollies, and me.
In Matthew 22, Jesus sums it up: love God and love your neighbour as yourself. Sometimes loving your neighbour just means asking before you assume.
So keep looking out for one another. And if you see someone doing something that looks a bit off, ask. They might just be counting Minties.
You might even ask, "R U OK?"
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