I feel like I just experienced a major breakthrough. My cube is part of a 6-cube cluster. Everyone is usually pretty quiet and keeps their nose to their computer screen all day. During the first couple of months that I was sitting at this desk, none of them really said anything except greetings to me (I don’t really work with them – I just sit in this cube cluster).

But now, the guy who sits immediately to the right of me started conversing with me and now we’re to the point where he’s showing me news articles, his class project, talking about vacations with his wife, his “back then” days of whatever he use to do, and then his heart transplant…he has a heart that is 10 years younger than he is.

The guy who sits a couple of feet away to the left of me now tells me about his family and how good of a girl is teenage daughter is, his relationship with his parents, and how he is superior in his Unigraphics skills [and he LOUDLY and almost rhythmically clicks his mouse – to the point where the rest of us have to wear headphones and listen to music to ignore it.]

The guy who sits kiddie-corner behind me jokes with me and emails me with “does the clicking seem unusually loud today” messages. He and his wife are also trying to have a baby – she is 10 weeks pregnant today.

One cube is empty because there’s a leak in the ceiling and it drips all over the seat of that desk.

The last guy – he’s usually pretty quiet and stoic. I’ve talked to him before regarding work stuff and that’s pretty much it. Today, however, my last cube barrier has crumbled down. There’s a janitor here that’s mentally handicapped. He’s a very very happy person who always comes around to this guy’s desk to show him his latest toys – be it a pen that lights up, or a silly hat. Today was this janitor’s 60th birthday and he came by the guy’s desk. Suddenly, the quiet, stoic man I’ve know for the past year is overcome with excitement for this janitor and he’s asking him about his birthday, his toys, a birthday cake, etc. It was so loud that all of us in the cube cluster look over to the two of them conversing. After the janitor leaves, I said to stoic guy, I can’t believe he’s 60. Stoic guy then proceeds to talk about his first ever experience with working with handicapped people and he just had this overwhelming passion in him when he talked about it. He’s never really talked about anything personal to me before. It’s awesome when you’re able to discover someone’s passion and they just pour out to you. [Turns out he used to volunteer to work with the handicapped and he’s known this janitor for 30 years.]

Anyways, what a happy cube cluster family. =)