penultimate day

Yesterday, my antepenultimate day at work, I actually blew through (no, I did not "blow off") a large amount of work, with the hopes of leaving my colleagues in very good shape after I'm gone.

Today was my next-to-last-day at work. It hardly seems real, but off I go. My team (really my boss with team in attendance) organized a lunch with cake on the side. Everyone had signed a card and my boss had picked out a few small but meaningful gifts for me. (One is a little hand-painted glass bubble that says "Follow your bliss." What a little treasure.)

I was so touched by these small gestures, in part because my boss just got back from a business trip to Europe and on Monday was barely awake enough to make it through the day. And yet, he found the time to do a little shopping and he was extremely thoughtful about it to boot. I feel appreciated.

I've mentioned to a few people that it is my goal to "go out on top," to leave them wanting more. I'd be mortified to think that for my last job especially, anyone would be thinking "couldn't she have gone sooner?" I think I've succeeded in that goal. People have said they don't know what they'll do without me - very kind. I believe they'll be just fine. I feel like I've contributed but others will also contribute after I'm gone.

Tomorrow, I finish packing and cleaning my office. Former boss Tom Parmenter's words ring in my head: "Always leave a clean camp-site." I'll say my goodbyes and take my leave and go off to the next adventure, including a nice vacation. We travel on Saturday and have massages scheduled for Sunday, a fitting start to whatever lies ahead.

more on next steps

Q: Why leave your job if it's decent, the people are pleasant, and you enjoy the work?
A: Because life is short. When I'm lying on my death bed, I can't imagine thinking "gee, I'm so glad I worked those extra years." But I can imagine thinking "I'm glad I read more books, played with the cats, went to museums, and saw my friends."

tap tap tap - is this thing on?

Can you hear me out there?
I didn't realize it had been an entire year since I last posted. I've been quiet lately because I've been working on a project. Today we told my team at work about it, so I can now talk more freely about it, including here.

In a few weeks, I'm leaving the work force. I have no idea what's next, if anything. Certainly some short-term things, like a vacation. Then, more swimming, and I hope to redevelop the habit of reading books (yes, on paper) and write more. Perhaps visit some museums. I'm honestly not sure what's next, but I'm planning to listen very very carefully to all the signals.

Onward!