As many people who were in Elan with me can attest to, I have a big problem with organization. I have improved on it, but never conquered it. Needless to say, my desk at the PR company I work at in NYC is a mess. Last night, I received a polite e-mail from a colleague asking me to clean it up -- even though I'd already started.
So this morning I came in and the desk was spotless. Empty too. While relieved it was clean, I suspected the office cleaners (who had worked the previous night) had thrown away my stuff (including meeting notes, brochures) and other important things. I also had two bags of chocolate candy (that I'd bought for the office) missing. I turned to the colleague who sent me the e-mail and said, "This can't be the desk you e-mailed me about." She shook her head.
So I was like, "Damn cleaners stole my stuff!" I was mad. A crowd of co-workers gathered around my desk. I picked up the phone and started talking to my wife. Suddenly, my colleague Charlotte said, "Hey, I found this Rolodex on my desk, is it yours?" Then Michelle was like, "I found this pile of stuff on the boss's desk. Then Takisha was like, "I found this on someone else's desk. Does it belong to you?" Slowly, over a period of several minutes, my stuff was returned -- including the candy. I still thought the cleaners had moved it around.
Slowly, everybody popped out from their cubicles. Someone hinted at April Fool's and my jaw dropped. Then Michelle was like, "Love ya Pete." It was awesome. Then I started organizing my desk. I can take a hint!