One person can make a difference

Ever notice how it only takes one person to really louse up your day at work? I used to have to depend on this one secretary for important work, but she was very difficult to work with. She somehow made everyone feel like they had to walk around on eggshells in her presence. You were afraid to approach her--if you did, she would blatantly ignore you and then after fifteen seconds or so perhaps acknowledge that you were there. We used to wonder if she sometimes "went off her meds" and got goofy. Some days she was fine, but then she'd slide into weirdness. It didn't matter what you did for her, it never bought you any more than a passing pleasantry.

You could work with anyone else in the office, we all knew we were there to accomplish the same thing--helping our students, and that we were a team. She never understood that. She has since been transferred to a different office, and now the whole atmosphere has changed. The shadow that hung over our halls is gone, and we move a little more freely now.

You might say that no one can "make" you feel a certain way, that you choose your reaction, but darn it, some people are just too weird. Even now, I think we are "recovering co-workers of the crazy person."