For some reason I am getting a vicarious thrill out of knowing that today is Sol's last day.
I had to resist the urge to wander around the office shouting "SO LONG, SUCKERS" at everyone today.
I was super excited to get up and go to work this morning, more so than any other day in my entire career. I actually caught myself speeding on the drive in, and had to remind myself not to rush it. Savor the moment, and all.
You know how Fridays are always better than Mondays at work? Today was kind of like that, except a million times more intense. Like the best Friday ever, the ultimate Friday. The last Friday before the long weekend that is the rest of your life.
It was kind of like the way I remember the last day of high school, like "Hooray we finally made it out!" but also slightly nostalgic about never walking the same hallways again, and slightly apprehensive about leaving behind the familiar to start a new chapter of your life, but also kind of looking forward to what comes next because you've already been admitted to a great college and you know it will be awesome. Success achieved! Onward and upward! Want to sign my yearbook?
Then the day itself kind of sucked. I had work to do! And not the fun kind, the tedious kind like recycling half of the shit in my workspace, meetings to discuss how someone else is going to do my job poorly after I'm gone, and lots of carrying things out to the car. I did get some lovely emails from distant colleagues at other agencies, so that was nice. I also really enjoyed turning in my ID and keycard and credit card; good riddance, symbols of my oppression, I hope to never see you again.
As I wandered down the block for an afternoon beer, I was struck by the feeling of emancipation. I had never realized how much a cubicle is like a cage, a prison cell so perfectly effective that they can leave the door wide open. They don't have to physically confine you, when they've captured your mind. I spent a decade
voluntarily sitting in a little box every day, fighting and scraping and stressing for someone else's goals, and considered myself lucky to have the opportunity, and now that it's all gone I'm kind of shocked at how heavy the burden now seems, in its absence.
So I am free. Wish me luck, and reliable market returns.