Life On The (CUBE) Farm

Most of us have a workplace and there are plenty, and I mean plenty, of us office workers who spend our weekly working hours in an office cubicle. Many cubicles placed in close proximity have come to be known as “The Cube Farm” or “Cube Land.” As you know, these work spaces come in several different shapes, sizes and colors. They are meant to provide some semblance of a stable working environment which you can personalize (but not too much, of course – you just might offend someone or, heaven forbid, appear too comfortable in your job). They also offer varying degrees of privacy but unfortunately most cubes offer very little, if any, to the vast majority of us, much like public restrooms versus our own private commode. This means we get to know one another sometimes a little more than we would like and it sometimes means we don’t know half as much about our co-workers as we think we do. So, since we share some space near you, let us introduce ourselves so we can get to know each other a little better.

Hi, Neighbor! We’re the Cube Jesters!



We’re the ones you see in the office every week trying to make a living in Cube Land. We’re the people who don’t mind making small talk with you or even mind having a ‘real’ conversation from time-to-time. We’re the same people who like to go grab a coffee on break or an occasional drink after work with you and the rest of the gang. However, we’re also the ones who sometimes don’t want to go on break with you and sometimes don’t really feel like meeting you and the gang for a drink after work, after all, we do generally spend eight hours a day with you… shouldn’t that be enough?

You see, we’re some of the things you are and some of the things you’re not. We’re the ones you sit next to/across from/down the hall from/or upstairs from. You know us as likable people and stable co-workers, which we are. What you probably don’t know is that we are more than just workers doing time for ‘the Man’ and that we don’t define ourselves by the job we currently hold. And, as shocking as it may be, we don’t define ourselves or our lives by the jobs we have held previously either. Oh yes, some of them have even been ‘good,’ high-paying jobs. But we choose to have a life and make our lives about more than just what we “do” five days a week. Sadly, many people do not grasp this concept and that’s where we hope to offer some assistance in future articles, even if just to make you laugh at yourself or others in Cube Society. We’ll even make fun of ourselves!

The BIG Picture

Even though we work hard while often putting in long hours for our employer, we don’t take ourselves so seriously that we lose sight of the Big Picture. To us, the Big Picture has always been about getting the most out of life. Now, this is not to say that a person cannot get meaning out of what they do. And even if you have what others may perceive as a ‘meaningless’ job, you can and should get meaning out of what you do for a living. Whether you’re a CEO or a janitor, it doesn’t matter. We simply suggest that people not confuse work goals with life goals.

The Big Picture is out there and we suggest you find it for yourself before life passes you by. After all, you’ll never meet or know of any person who on their death bed has said, “Oh, I wish I worked longer hours and spent even more time away from my friends and family.” So, this is a reminder to work hard while you’re at work, but please, for the sake of everyone you know, PLEASE don’t take yourself so seriously. Perhaps most importantly, please learn that working is not a substitute for LIVING.