Tonight was the retirement party of my friend Denise, who is retiring from the company that eliminated my position in 2019. Oh, the mixed feelings! Of course, there is pure joy for Denise and I wanted to celebrate this exciting time of her life, but I also admit there was more than a little anxiety about seeing certain co-workers.
When I left (along with three other co-workers from my office, which they were supposedly closing), only one person besides Denise ever contacted me to see how I was doing (that person wasn’t there tonight). One whose help I needed navigating an issue, never called me back. I finally just let it go and did the best I knew.
Even before I left, few mentioned me leaving or said goodbye. I guess maybe it was awkward for them? All I know is it was definitely awkward for me. And it hurt.
So going into this evening, I really didn’t know what to expect. I’m not always great at certain kinds of social things. That introvert thing.
But it was lovely. Some of the people who were dear to me were there, and a couple who also were no longer with the company. I also met a few new employees and they were delightful.
I sat with my friends Paul and Anna, who are also not with the company anymore, and one of the new guys who worked with Paul after he left to go to another consulting firm. (Then not long after I left he ended up at our old company.)
The dinner was amazing – one course after another kept coming out. We couldn’t possibly eat it all.
Paul, Anna, and I are all storytellers, so there wasn’t a dull moment. We laughed all night long.
So the anxiety was in vain. I had a great time and probably some of the negative memories disipated.
I came home and started listening to old contemporary Christian music I had listened to in my teens. A singer I loved back then (Ken Medema) is supposed to be at the festival I am attending this weekend, so I wanted to re-acquainte myself with his music.
As I started I thought about the Pat Terry Group who I also loved during this time and started listening to an album they put out in 1975, when I turned 15. It ended with me emailing Pat Terry and thanking him for his music. There was one song in particular I played over and over – this was in the days of picking up the needle on the stereo and getting it back to the first of the song. It makes me laugh now. I had a certain level of patience.
This is such a busy month and besides all of the activity I need to do 24 hours of continuing ed and a course for a company I occasionally work for. It’s only supposed to be an hour, so I’m not very concerned about that one, but the continuing ed will be a bear. I’m doing it online, but have already found major errors where the material has not been updated since significant laws have passed. Yes, I’ll give the wrong answers on the test, but it is infuriating. (Yes, the company has already heard from me. I haven’t heard back.)
I’ve got to interview two local musicians this month for articles I am writing for a local news magazine. I usually only do one a month, but realized I am going to be in Canada next month when I’d normally conduct the interview. I’ll have a few days before my deadline when I’ll be back home, but writing an article when you interviewed the person a month ago is hard! So it will get done, too. I’m interviewing two very different musicians, so I’m excited. I love showing the diversity of our music scene.
I had a great day with my cousin this weekend, heading out of town and looking for musician murals for a series of articles I am writing for Newsbreak.
Not only did the weather defy the rainy forecast and give us a beautiful day, but I even found an extra mural for my series I knew nothing about. If you’re in North Carolina, check out the NC Musician Mural Trail. The artist of the murals is amazing and the subjects worthy of remembrance. I am getting exposed to NC musicians I never knew existed – and then, of course, after I hear about them they seem to come up all the time!
So much more I could write, but I’ll stop. I’ll be volunteering at the Wild Goose Festival in Harmony, NC this weekend. I have never been, but it promotes faith-based social justice. That’s right in my wheelhouse. Lots of interesting authors, speakers, and artists. Also in my wheelhouse!
In the Box, Out of the Box 