The first day is easy to define. Everyone calls it Day 1. Jeff Bezos made Day 1 a thing. But what is the last day? For me it is Day 1818. That’s 5.05 years at my first company.
38 days ago, I came to a decision to leave. Now that I’m really leaving, it’s a lot of mixed feelings. Many people asked how I am feeling, and that’s probably out of curiosity as much as courtesy. What else do you use to make conversation with someone who is leaving the company? But the answer is not straightforward nor is it easy to provide an answer as truthful and yet politically correct. I eventually settled on “it feels like leaving home”.
It’s a strange experience at a strange time. 1.5 years back, we evacuated our old premise with a promise that we will be using this new space; half a year on, COVID-19 forced everyone to stay home and I came here to collect essentials to continue working from home. Did I know that one year later, I would be back here to return everything without using the space at all? Definitely not.
Making moves during COVID-19 also means that there is no opportunity to take a real break before the next adventure. The lack of an escape really removes the “reset” feeling one gets from a change of scenery.
A few things I’m already missing – or not – the absence of a second phone which buzzes more frequently than I would like it to (is this Stockholm syndrome?), my colleagues/friends that make life that little bit better, and the projects left unfinished that will be completed by someone else.
But life is such and people move on. As will I to my next Day 1 and the next chapter of my journey.
