Goodbyes

There is a quote from Shakespear's Romeo & Juliet "parting is such sweet sorrow" that is often cited in different occasions. Tonight I had to say goodbye to one of the best supervisor's I've had the honor to work with and it was just like the quote sweet but at the same time sorrowful. This man was such a great person to work with, he managed to find that balance between authority and comraderie in the work place. For the most part I like my shift but before Mel came to our shift there wasn't that bond between the new peopel and the veterans. Mel brought our shift together by his sense of humor. He would try to scare us by hiding around corners and got me good a few times including once while I was on the radio talknig. But he also managed to maintain his authority and there was never any doubt as to who was in charge. Good leaders like him are hard to find these days! The kind that can motivate their people to work without raising their voice, create an environment where people still feel free to express themselves and yet be productive, and yet maintain a sense of decorum and order. He was wonderful and we're going to miss him.

But like most good people he had to move on and leave us quicker than the rest. So being the good team that we were, we gave him a good farewell to show our appreciation to him being a great supervisor. Hopefully he will stop by to visit once in a while since he's still with the department. He just moved to a different division, so it's not a complete and finite parting!

Letting go of Friends

These past two weeks have been rather trying for me in my relationships with friends. I've had to say good-bye to two friends who I've known for a combined total of 25 years. That's a long time! One of the friendship that I've had to let go I was tried of being the only one inputting time and effort to keep it alive. It was like trying to give oxgen to something that was brain dead, yeah not a pretty picture I know but that it seemed like to me. So I had to cut that relationship and let it go. The other one came out of nowhere! I was not expecting a "Dear John" e-mail from this person even though I haven't heard from her in a month or two when I do call her. But she sent me the e-mail and asked me to not contact her. I was rather sad on reading the e-mail but respected her for letting me know. I wish I could say that I cried but my tears ducts have decided to quit working for me right when I need them too! So now there is just this dull feeling inside. But I know as in life there are many twist and turns in our journey and friends may come and go.