Dear Desk Makers

I think that’s right?
Nov 5 · 3 min read

As someone who bruises pretty easily, it’s not uncommon for me to find a random bruise and have no idea how it got there. A minor collision with something will often leave at least a small bruise.

There have been many times where I’ve tried to make a mental note after bumping into something so I wouldn’t be so confused about where the bruise came from later. Of course, the especially painful encounters don’t require any extra effort to remember.

The most common bruise spots for me — and everyone else I would assume — are my knees. While I try to learn from my mistakes, I still have some frequent run-ins that leave my knees bruised.

Specifically, some of the more repeated ones include running into the corner of my coffee table, kneeling on a hard floor and hitting them on my desk at work.

While I recognize my occasional clumsiness, I also feel like for the third scenario, the odds are stacked against me. It seems like every desk has some sharp object or random protrusion under it with the sole purpose of being in the way.

As I started my first job, I was constantly hitting my knees so hard on some metal piece under the desk that co-workers would come in to my office to check if everything was okay. Eventually, as I worked there day after day, I got used to the desk and started knowing where that piece was to avoid it. But inevitably, there would still be those random days where I’d make contact.

At my next job, the desk had a shelf near the back that was meant to hold cords or other techy items that needed to be stored underneath. Again, this took some getting used to, but eventually, and after many more bruises, I got accustomed to this desk’s quirks as well.

One day last week, I worked out of a different office than usual. Within minutes of getting to the office, I had already hit my knee on some sort of metal box that was under the desk. Ouch!

What made things more interesting was that I was not used to how fast this rolling chair moved on the hard, tiled floor. My usual office is carpeted, so if you want to move anywhere in a chair with wheels, you really have to put some oomph in your scooting.

But at this office, you barely move and you’ve rolled three feet. Because of this, if I moved or readjusted even a little, the effect was more dramatic than I was used to, and I’d hit my knee again.

As I was there for the day, this routine repeated itself another five or so times. Luckily, none of the collisions were hard enough for anyone else to notice.

By the end of the day, after an eventful workday and the commute home, I’d mostly forgotten about the desk. That is, until the next morning.

As I was waking up, I caught a glimpse of purple on one knee. Then I looked at the other to find several more bruises. At first, I was just confused of how I’d managed to accumulate this collage of blue and purple — but it didn’t take long to remember.

After so many painful desk encounters, I can’t help but wonder why every desk has some sort of piece under it that is just asking us to injure ourselves on. Why can’t we just have ones that are made to be smooth underneath so we can cross our legs under a desk in peace?

Now that I’m back to my regular desk, I’ve managed to give my knees a break. That is, until I visit the next desk or table with an unexpected surprise.

I think that’s right?

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the everyday journey of getting it wrong

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