Last Day at Work
Written by Ashley Kelmore, Posted in Random
Today was my last day at the job I’ve had for the past four years. My best friends in New York work there. I get to – got to – see and hang out with my best friends every single day. That’s a pretty sweet deal.
Around 3:30 I turned in all of my gear (no more blackberry! No more shield!), completed the exit paperwork and sent out my last e-mail.
Paula and Jonathan threw me a send-off that was beyond thoughtful. It was at a local bar, and we had our own room – and own bartender. Paula put together a playlist full of U2 and the Beatles, and ensured that the bar had drinks I like. She and Jonathan pulled together two huge (2 1/2 foot square I think) posters – one covered with pictures of me with my friends, and one covered with “Things that are British” (Monty Python, the Beatles, etc.) and “Things that are not” (Bono, Northern Ireland, etc.). My coworkers signed them with really kind notes. Also strewn about the table was a bouquet of lovely wildflowers, two boxes of jaffa cakes (yum!) a few union jacks, and a bottle of Lucozade to help with the recovery tomorrow.
Paula, Jonathan, my boss and the big boss all said really sweet things. It was so overwhelming – virtually everyone I’ve enjoyed working with there (and some former coworkers) turned out. They got me a gift card to Harrods (!), and my boss gave me a great travel bag with a guide to London and a solar charger for my phone. It was so lovely, and the sap in me usually would be bawling. But I did manage to hold it together.
Until.
Two bag pipers from the FD Pipe and Drum corps came in playing. It was crazy. I’m not sure what the first song was, but when they started playing Auld Lang Syne I about keeled over. It was funny and sweet and thoughtful and just . . . insane.
I can’t believe that tomorrow I won’t go to work with these wonderful people. I’ll be leaving NYC in two weeks. It’s a lot to take in, and I’m so very excited to move to London. But wow. I’m going to miss these folks a ton. Some people leave jobs and say good-bye without planning to keep in touch – I leave without a doubt in my mind that I will count these people among my very best friends no matter where I end up.
