Song of the day:
As I was driving home from my office on Wednesday, after my going away lunch with our department and a week after a going away lunch with my current and former staff, today’s song of the day came on and hit me right in the feels. And yeah, there were tears. A few of the lyrics that got me…
I said remember this moment…in the back of my mind
It was the end of a decade…but the start of an age
When they point to the pictures…please tell them my name
Tell them how the crowds went wild…tell them how I hope they shine
Long live the walls we crashed through
I had the time of my life with you
Long, long live the walls we crashed through
How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
And I was screaming, "Long live all the magic we made"
One day, we will be remembered
I think that’s the hope when we leave one thing to move on to another, that we’ll be remembered. That people will remember the impact we made, what we did, the fun we had and so forth. Long Live is a song that talks about that from a high schooler’s point of view, and it focuses on the songwriter’s gratitude for her fans and her band and tour mates. I think it translates to other stages of life, too, at least for me. I think that’s why it hit me so hard this week. Next week it will probably be a different song. Emotions are all over the place right now.
But here are a few fun things I was able to share with some of my current and former staff in the last couple of weeks. I’ve been lucky to have some amazing folks work for (and with) me, and I’ve learned from each and every one of them. And my current staff did an incredible job surprising me with a magically decorated office space and celebration - movie themed complete with posters and snacks and iced tea with lemon.
I shared the following post earlier this week on Threads and Instagram, not to garner positive feedback or kudos, but to truly share how overwhelming it’s been to experience this massive change in life. Because wow, it’s BIG, and these last two weeks have been a LOT.
Sometimes we don’t know the impact we make as we walk through life, but as I inch ever closer to retirement I’m astounded by the number of current and former staff who have thanked me for taking a chance on them. More than one has said I changed their life both personally and professionally. Feeling overwhelmed and filled with bittersweet joy. It’s easy to leave the work, but it’s hard to leave the people. 💙💛
I honestly have no idea what it’s going to feel like to walk out of my office for the last time today, to drive away from campus for the last time, but I’m under no illusions that it’s going to be easy. The only thing that will probably be harder is driving out of town next month. But we’ll discuss that later…
After I leave campus today I’m going to see Inside Out 2 because why not? I’m going to be emotional anyway so why not cry along with the emotions in Riley’s head? I’ve been extremely excited about this movie since it was announced. I adored the first one, and have a feeling this one is going to be great, too. Anyone else planning to see it this weekend? If so let me know, and we can discuss next week. After the movie I have a dinner reservation to celebrate the end of this chapter in my life with a delicious steak and some sort of potato. And of course, iced tea with all the ice and all the lemons.
So that’s the plan for today. I have a feeling there will be a lot resting and doing nothing this weekend, but I also have to finish packing the Legos for their impending journey across the country. So until next time…have a great day and a wonderful weekend.
A few more pics of the office decor for your viewing pleasure…if you open up the middle image so it’s big, you can see that on each star are some of the things I say a lot around the office. My staff is hilarious.
Video of the day:
Sigh, I can imagine all the fun the team had decorating the office 😔 lol. The tree made me laugh as I can almost hear you saying those things. I would have included 'oy vey!' among the other notable sayings as an homage to all the headaches: PeopleSoft, CSULearn, the website, Zoom, and all the other items that were a nuisance! Looking forward to reading and following your awesome new journey ahead. Take care, Carrie!
You do have a great group of people you're leaving. The memories will travel with you.