Well after four years of thinking and two years of planning, monday week ago I finally said goodbye to the office, for now. ”They were the best of times they were the worst of times”, as Charles Dickens would have said at the opening of a new chapter.
Last week was probably the strangest week that I have experienced in a while, and last monday it was just surreal. To wake up on monday morning and dander into the office for the last time was unusual to say the least. The week before I had been reminded every day by a colleague that each tea, lunch and toilet break was the last one for that particular day. As each of the part time staff finished working with me, they came for a chat and one colleague even had the, “goodbye chat”, on three occassions.
So on the monday morning as I walked in, I couldn’t quite recognise that this was the end of a chapter and that the two years of planning had finally come to an end. All of those days thinking about the great escape had been reduced to just hours. I remember over two years ago disclosing my plans to nelly and spending a good twenty minutes lighting the barbeque and cooking before I told him prior to him heading to New Zealand. That seemed like a lifetime ago. Having to tell the boss back in September that I was thinking of an escape plan just seemed equally long ago. So as far as the last day went it was quite surreal. I got the old phone call to come back to base around tea time and I began to wonder why the barracks was empty. Oh yes it was the surprise leaving gathering that I had attended loads of in the past and this time it was mine. While I stood there it still didn’t register I had to make a speech.
The generosity and the gifts were unexpected as were the cards and then there was the scrapbook. The fact that someone let alone the boss had spent time gathering together a collection of retrobates and forcing them to write something just makes me smile. Some of the comments alone I am sure I will look back on in years to come and just laugh, others I honestly don’t know what they are about!
On the day flew at a gallop and as I cantered past the home made banoffee and the last few turns of the treadmill, I finally made it to saying bye to the boss. It was only then that she told me that she also had a plan to leave. I have no doubt that she won’t take two years to get the green light.
As I handed back my pass and walked up the lane home I finally realised that I had made it. It was like Andy Dufresne was on his way!
Was I emotional, that is the question that I was asked on number of occasions. I can say that I suppose I was in a way, I worked with some people who I will miss and some people who are unique.
The following morning was weird. It was as if it was the first morning of the holidays. It was at that point that I awoke at the usual time as if I was working, and realised that I was no longer on holiday and that this was real. Then I got a text from my old work and it appears that I may actually get to visit the office and get paid once in a while during my studies.
So as I sat in bed the following morning I realised that being in the office had taught me alot and by going through it had helped to get me back on track.
In terms of the office I suppose I should have left a note saying … “I am just going outside and may be some time” . Now who was it who said that!
Posted by theofficeinthestoreroom 