Another Farewell

Even though I had said farewell many times in the past, either to my loved ones, or to some dear friends or to colleagues at work, it has not been any easier to say farewell once more.

On the last day of my current job, I arrived at office as usual. I checked the to – do list again to assure everything was uploaded to a shared folder so that other people can access to my work and pick up the tasks from where I just stopped.

Then I started put every piece of office supplies I have been using in a neat order, clean up each inch of my desk to be ready for the next person.

I sent out farewell message to the entire group, chatted with some people on phone. I started walking around the office areas to collect as much as possible details and store them into my brain since I might not be able to see this place anymore.

I took an extra long lunch break, wandering around beautiful Minneapolis downtown areas. I snapped some street senses using DSLR. I stopped by my favorite Indian restaurant on 5^th street, Copper Pot. It also reminded me of the last time I was there with a senior executive of the bank. He left the bank soon after our last lunch, his departure was so abrupt that I even didn’t have chance to say goodbye.

Around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I turned off the computer and handed in my badge to the department admin. The blue sky was decorated with scattered clouds while I stepped out of US Bank Plaza. Knowing that this has brought to an end of my career at US Bank, I felt as something important for me just left. During past four years here, I built up my expertise in a new field as well as friendship and career network. All the efforts will help me move up to the next level.

Not all farewells mean loss, even though all of them can cause a syndrome as “separation anxiety” at the very beginning. We absorb the knowledge we learned in the past to create a better future. The beginning of a new career is just like the birth of a new life, pain at the first but joy is enduring.