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.
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2 comments:
Happy Trails.
It's a rare occasion when a Tom-Quote isn't at the ready.
When Tom was leaving our former company, I said to him, "We'll miss you."
"Yes, you will," he said.
Thank you KAH. And it's funny - it's usually you I end up quoting.
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