STORYTELLING (2010-3) (7회)

[charliek]

PREPARATORY COURSE FOR GSIT AND GSTI

STORYTELLING (7회/MARCH, 2010)                                                     INSTRUCTOR KIM SOO-YEON

1.       QUESTION (behalf) 직장 동료들을 대신해 이 글을 쓰게 되었습니다.

2.        (still born) 저의 직장 동료 중에 매지라는 사람이 있는데 지난해 사산을 했죠..

3.        매우 비극적인 일이죠.

4.        (sewn shut) 문제는 그 작은 두 눈이 꿰매어 감긴 상태인 죽은 아기의 사진을 잘 보이도록 책상 위에 놔두고 있어서

5.       그녀에게 볼 일이 있어 가게 되면 어쩔 수 없이 그 사진을 보게 된다는 거예요.

6.        (open cubicle layout) (저희 사무실은 개방형 칸막이로 되어 있어요.)

7.        (appropriate) 이래도 되는지 궁금해요.

8.        우리 회사 직원의 90%는 여자예요.

I am writing on behalf of my friends at work.

We have a co-worker, "Madge,"

who had a stillborn baby last year.

It was tragic.

Our problem is,

she keeps a photo of the deceased infant

with its little eyes sewn shut

on her desk

in plain view,

so that if we must interact with her

(we have an open cubicle layout)

we have to see it.

Is this appropriate?

Ninety percent of the employees here are women.

Most are appalled.

Others say, "Well, it's all she has."

Madge is expecting again,

and we are rooting for her and the baby.

However,

in addition to all this,

she is mean and gossipy.

Madge tells everyone what to do and how to do it –

which is not in her job description.

I hope that

when the baby arrives

she will soften and not be so bitter.

But how on earth do we blow off that photo?

ADVICE: While a person's desktop is usually private territory, I agree that the photograph you describe is inappropriate in an office environment. Because Madge feels the need to keep the picture of her stillborn baby close, it should be kept in her purse with other family photos, or in her desk drawer. How very sad that poor woman must be. The person who should deal with this delicate problem is the boss or the supervisor.

QUESTION: I'm a 43-year-old woman who has never been married. My boyfriend, "Phil" -- with whom I share a wonderful relationship -- has been divorced three times and has made it clear he does not want to marry again.

We're in the process of buying a home together, and I cannot let go of the hope that one day we'll live in it as husband and wife. It has always been my dream to find that one "right" person and settle down. In my eyes, Phil is that special person. I feel cheated that because of his failed marriages my hopes and dreams don't matter.

Phil loves me and is good to me, but I have mixed emotions. I feel that having shared an exclusive relationship for two years and the fact that we are now buying a house together means we should be married. Must I accept the relationship we have?

ANSWER: No. What you must accept is that your dream and Phil's are not the same. You yearn for commitment, which from his track record it appears Phil has trouble with.

If marriage is what you really want, you're betting on the wrong horse, and before investing in something as expensive as a home, I urge you to discuss this significant financial commitment with an attorney to ensure that your interests are fully protected