After a clash in a meeting, I can’t write the first line
A word from the meeting keeps circling in your head all afternoon, and your hand stops at the first line of your work.
Scenes
- After the meeting, I can’t get into my work — At three in the afternoon, one thing I heard in the meeting keeps rewinding, and my hand stops at the first line of my work.
- I start wondering if I was being too sensitive — I put off replying because I’m afraid it will make things worse, yet I keep replaying the meeting and judging whether I was being too sensitive.
- My hand stopped beside the notes — At 3:20 p.m., I turn my phone face down beside the notes and stare at the same line in the document for a long time.
- The more I decide on my own, the more I freeze — After a conflict, work stops not because there’s no answer, but because the next conversation is left empty while you weigh both sides alone.
- Write down just two lines — Tonight, write one line about what happened and one about what needs to be checked, then set a time to come back to it tomorrow at eleven.
- It’s okay if the conflict isn’t over — The conflict isn’t over. Let’s agree on when the two of you will revisit it and what needs to be discussed.
Stories by Cheongun
- Cheongun
- On payday, Dad asked me to pass that along
- At the light, I think of what I want to say to my family.
- At lunch, I want to choose my child’s career path for them.
- When I step out after washing and stand before the mirror, the comparisons in my family come back to me.
- After the meeting, the plans and the spur-of-the-moment ideas clash again.
- When we get home from work, the first thing we talk about at the door is caring for our parents.
- As we left the exam room, Mom asked first.
- We put off the decision again while doing the dishes