Ok, I get it.
You don’t like goodbyes. I don’t think I know anyone who particularly enjoys them.
You were – and are – well and truly finished here, you did your time, you ate the cake, you packed your coffee cup, you were ready to leave.
There’s no real sensible reason to hang about waiting for people to appear so you can finally say bye and get the hell out of here.
I get that.
It’s just… I would have liked the chance to say bye. And thank you. You’ve done so much for me that you probably don’t realise. It would’ve been good to tell you I appreciate it.
Not that there were no chances. I just thought there’d be more.
More chances. More time.
Time to go the loo quickly while you finished packing.
Time to dig your prezzie out of my bag while you carried your boxes to the steps.
Time to say bye before you drove off to seek more fortuitous fortunes.
(I hope you find them.)
Today was a good day. I hope you thought so too.
I learned a lot, as always, when I work with you.
I’m going to miss those days, the ones where the goal was work, and the way there was fun. Pretty much everything seems possible when it’s fun. Even the tough projects.
***
I suppose the take-away-message is ‘don’t assume’.
Don’t assume they’ll always be there.
Don’t assume they’ll wait for you to say bye.
Get in there first. Say what you want to say well before they’re due to leave, even if it seems weird to say bye hours in advance.
***
No, no one’s died. I was just a bit shaken (and a bit mad) that one of my favourite colleagues not only resigned, but also disappeared without saying goodbye. I wrote it directly after he left, but didn’t want to post it while it was so fresh. I never sent it. Maybe I should have done. Maybe I still will.
Mmmm….We do this sometimes, but life has a habit of getting in the way of our good intentions because we tend to think there WILL be time. How foolish we are to think that TIME will wait for us!
It waits for none, and carries our regrets along its rushing stream to an ocean of “if onlies”…and “why didn’t I’s”. I guess we need to send a couple of big waves after our regrets and let them sink otherwise they may tend to drag us down with a wave slapping our face now and then. Sometimes all we can console ourselves with is …”I tried”…”I really tried.”
*nods* I wish you weren’t right, but I suspect you are… 😉
Sometimes we just arrive too late, other times they leave early. Say it when you think it, that way you might no suffer so many regrets.
Mmm… you have a point there….
Well, I’m leaving work soon and I sure won’t be sneaking out the door. I’m going to say goodbye properly.
Good plan! 🙂