Today is my last day at my job. I tried to quit before but it didn't take. I had to be firm about it so I sent my boss a text yesterday: Working tomorrow. My last day!!! What time do you want me? Am I training the new person? Just wanted to make it clear - again.
I'm grateful for the experience, but it was never a good fit: me, alone in a tiny office for 7 hours - not a match made in heaven. And eventually the work became the deadliest of duos - a combination of boring and stressful. I won't miss the extreme temperatures or the mushrooms growing in the bathroom. I won't miss my boss coming in from his other job to sleep at his desk - about 3 feet away from mine. That was awkward.
So what's the takeaway? I am now a wizard at Excel. This may seem like a small thing, but for the technology-impaired, this is a skill I am glad to have mastered. And because I agreed to stay on while my boss was out of the country for 3 weeks this summer, I completely kicked butt while he was gone. He was unreachable, so I could get things done like I knew I could without having to check in with him at every step of the way. I don't blame him, it's his business, but by not allowing me to talk to the customers my hands were always tied and the process was mind-numbingly slow. Once I could communicate directly with the customers, I doubled the amount of business we usually would have done in the same time period. Note to other managers out there: trust your employees, they might surprise you.
The biggest takeaway is finding my peeps at the yarn store around the corner. Being the extreme extrovert of all extroverts, I was a bit stir crazy after about 3 hours on my own. After chatting up the mailman everyday, the Post Office issued a teeny restraining order and I had to let him carry on. Never one to give in so easily, I ventured out at lunchtime to make new friends. I discovered the yarn store and became a fixture, completely falling in love with the owners Barb and Karen, now my lifelong friends. The name of the store is The Red Thread, after the Chinese proverb: An invisible red thread connects all those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread my stretch or tangle, but it will never break. This is always how things happen for me - some good comes out of every situation, no matter what the struggle.
So today I'll say goodbye to my little office and embrace the next adventure. I'm grateful for my friend who recommended me to the job. I'm grateful to my boss for teaching me the ropes. I'm happy for the chance to learn some new skills and wear some cute outfits (well hidden under my coat and down vest but still). And I'll still be a fixture at the yarn store, without the limitations of my lunch hour (and they can always contact the Post Office about how to get the restraining order if it becomes too much). But on my next job interview, do you think it would be awkward to ask about any mushrooms growing in the bathroom? I'm not sure everyone would understand my concern.
