I felt annoyed yesterday. My boss asked me if I was doing OK, lately. I'm sure the fact that I'm not very happy with work or with life isn't entirely hidden – I do pretty well at keeping a positive face in the classroom, but I'm not so good at staying positive in the staffroom.
I told the truth – I generally do to such direct questions. But his reaction wasn't to ask what's wrong. He said something to the effect of "well, you can't be happy unless you try to be happy." I'm paraphrasing – I can't recall his exact words. Coming from a friend, this would be OK. Especially since it's a life-philosophy that I've probably bounced out to those around me, too. Not to mention certain things I've said or observed in This Here Blog Thingy™.
But coming from my boss, it was a bit annoying. Why? Because it seems like as a boss (as opposed to as a friend), he should take in interest in the possible work-related causes of my unhappiness. Which is to say, although there are other causes for my current unhappiness, work is nevertheless contributing its fair share, and I would expect my boss to wonder what those causes might be. Hmm.
This is a very passive-aggressive rant, and I'm not sure if I'll be glad if someone from work reads this, or mortified. But I'll just write it and see, I guess. Heh.