I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you
~ stephen schwartz
***********
strange times at spaceneedl sprockets.
suddenly people who were there just last week...are no longer around. gone. poof. soon, i will be one of them. the quiet is deafening.
it took a while to find the right people, but once we did, it seemed there was nothing our little team couldn't do. no assignment was too big, no deadline too comically ludicrous. whatever was asked, we did the job, and we did it very well.
now, overnight, we are scattered to the wind...which we will eventually learn to live with, even after spending so many waking hours of our lives together. time will pass and this will happen. but it will not pass without a proper expression of gratitude...
***********
brett: thank you for your tireless diligence and your endless reserve of patience. i have rarely met anyone as motivated as you. it's on you now. there aren't many who would be up for such a task, but you are one of them. the sky's the limit for you, my brother. choose well.
mj: time to bust out the sequim-tinis (i'll stick with the wine, if you don't mind). let's toast to the countless stories, the many laughs, the litany of good things we accomplished (thanks to your orchestration)...and a world where things actually make sense.
lilly: i don't know where to start. thank you for your technical wizardry and your seemingly effortless brilliance. i know there's plenty of effort involved, but you make it look so easy. your spirit soars, raising everyone around you. and your smile is better than cupcakes.
brenda: fired. hmm, i guess that's not so funny any more, is it. oh, what the hell, sure it is. thank you, my friend, for your silly humor, your inquisitive mind, and for not being your mom. you are so quick to learn, with more resolve than most anyone i know...you can do anything, you know.
andrea: my first partner at spaceneedl sprockets ~ thank you for sticking with me through good times and, you know, not. i will never forget the sly wit, the raised eyebrow, the pitch-perfect delivery of endless movie lines. if god is in the details, you are the one who keeps track of them for him. you are the keeper of knowledge no one else can fathom. and none of us would have succeeded without you.
christina: in our too-short time together you taught me the zen of dealing gently with people. that wisdom is part of me now, and may be the greatest gift i've ever received. creatively, you raised the bar for all of us, a standard that will serve us well ~ wherever we go ~ forever. a thousand times, plus several more...thank you.
p.s. despite this, if you ever say the word "menses" in casual conversation again, i will have to kill you.
***********
we worried this day would come, and now it's here. tomorrow it's likely several of our spaces will be empty ~ cleared of their familiar, comfortable warmth. passing by their doors, it will be difficult to hold it together.
deep breath. long exhale.
i'm profoundly grateful to all of you.
we had a good run.
***********
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have rewritten mine
By being my friend
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better
Because I knew you
Because I knew you
I have been changed for good
4 comments:
Mike,
Not going to blast you with platitudes and BS. I went through this twice,all within a couple of years. Lost money on the houses I sold and bought, and then sold again. You've been there before so you know, and you know the the yo-yoing of emotions and the sudden attack on your entire being and your self confidence. It has nothing to do with you, or your human qualities, it's just the way it is.
To be honest, by the second time, I was pretty prepared, almost cocky about it. I enjoyed my time off, I read a lot, i learned about things I didn't have time for previously. You make do and you survive. It sounds like you are well prepared, so I wish you good fortunes, great resiliency and a nice view to enjoy.
thanks, pete. i don't know what's next, but whatever it is ~ i'm all-in.
Getting laid off during the beginning of the new milennium during the dot com bust was a kick in the balls, so to speak, but I will tell you that once the shock and panic wore off, turns out it was the best thing that could've ever happened. Walking away from a cushy job like mine at Nortel, with the HIGH salary, telecommuting and ridiculous marketing budgets--despite the 14 hour days and constant pressure--was not something I could've done on my own. I think it would have been like giving up a mistress. But Nortel was just a stop on this journey I call life, one that trained me as a project manager and gave me spectacular experience and job skills, and not where I was destined to be. After four summer months off to be a mom, play at the play at the pool with the boy, and decide I wanted to volunteer with the NCMA as a docent, my life drastically changed. New industry (the arts), new skills and challenges, new lease on life. It fucks with your head, this layoff business. But you'll quickly come back around to the fact that it really isn't you ... though I suspect you already know this. You have the right attitude: whatever it is, I'm all in. Go with the flow, see where those fickle bitches, the Fates, take you. It's an adventure. An exciting one that'll show you (and Melissa) what you're made of. But as Matt said during his layoff from Nortel: Home Depot's always hiring. xoxo
thank you, dolly. i'm definitely prepared to accommodate change, and the prospect that what comes next might be completely different. it's good not to be too predictable.
going with the flow...on my feet and moving. #newmantra
Post a Comment