I was assigned an unoccupied cubicle by the wall for a short consulting assignment. An hour passed before I became distracted by an odd sound coming from the cubicle across from me. I slid my chair back. A woman was bouncing gently on an exercise ball. I’d heard they were a healthy alternative to a chair.

I rolled back further, thinking I’d initiate a conversation but stopped when I noticed her eyes were closed. Her hands gripped the edge of her desk. She breathed through her mouth, short breaths, her lips moving as if she were blowing out a birthday candle.

She stopped bouncing. She breathed slower, deeper, in sync with the gentle movement of her pelvis back and forth over the ball. A long sigh followed. She relaxed her grip and opened her eyes. She noticed me right away. I smiled. Her expression turned serious. “What are you looking at,” she said.

I smiled further. I may have chuckled slightly as I looked at her ball and back to her eyes. She stood up and stormed off. She complained to the department manager about my inappropriate behavior. I was moved to another cubicle.