Last day of work at UNC-CH
Today. Another surreal day. The entire day was just odd. Routine, but it did not feel normal.
There was still quite a bit of work to do and wrap up, but I could tell (and so could everyone else) that there was no way to complete what we wanted to get done today. To make things worse, a new problem came up that required my attention that no one else knew how to work (and my second on this service is still out on vacation through next week). So, there went another few hours.
Most of the people in my group headed out to lunch and reminisced (including much laughter) on what we've been through together over the years. After lunch I tidied up a few more things, wiped the data on my workstations and was more or less done by 1600. Colleagues arranged to go to Carolina Brewery (also known as Conference Room C) just down the street for a get together. There were a lot of people there including the CTO and CIO to see me off. I did not think that many people would come out on a Friday afternoon, but they did and I really appreciated it. I even enjoyed a local beer which is rather rare for me.
So many kind comments were said and I had plenty to share with them. These are comments that really need to be said more often and I regret no complimenting people more often over the years. It's really important to recognize hard working and dedicated people that I work with. So many people commented that the place would feel weird without me because I had been there so long (13 years state service). Something tugs at me that I should not go and that people need me. The feeling is fleeting and I remind myself I have sacrificed so much for my career and it was time to take care of me and make my life better.
As I finally pulled out of the garage some emotions came over me. I kept thinking, "Wow, this is the last time I'm going to see ______" about the scenery, the campus, the people, the drive, etc. Then another voice inside of me tells me to keep moving forward and don't look back--it will still be there.
There was still quite a bit of work to do and wrap up, but I could tell (and so could everyone else) that there was no way to complete what we wanted to get done today. To make things worse, a new problem came up that required my attention that no one else knew how to work (and my second on this service is still out on vacation through next week). So, there went another few hours.
Most of the people in my group headed out to lunch and reminisced (including much laughter) on what we've been through together over the years. After lunch I tidied up a few more things, wiped the data on my workstations and was more or less done by 1600. Colleagues arranged to go to Carolina Brewery (also known as Conference Room C) just down the street for a get together. There were a lot of people there including the CTO and CIO to see me off. I did not think that many people would come out on a Friday afternoon, but they did and I really appreciated it. I even enjoyed a local beer which is rather rare for me.
So many kind comments were said and I had plenty to share with them. These are comments that really need to be said more often and I regret no complimenting people more often over the years. It's really important to recognize hard working and dedicated people that I work with. So many people commented that the place would feel weird without me because I had been there so long (13 years state service). Something tugs at me that I should not go and that people need me. The feeling is fleeting and I remind myself I have sacrificed so much for my career and it was time to take care of me and make my life better.
As I finally pulled out of the garage some emotions came over me. I kept thinking, "Wow, this is the last time I'm going to see ______" about the scenery, the campus, the people, the drive, etc. Then another voice inside of me tells me to keep moving forward and don't look back--it will still be there.