I turned in my keys today. I'm done at this school.
The office staff threw a little "going away" party of sorts, complete with cool food from Panera and gag gifts for the two outgoing assistant principals. It was all in good fun, but there was an elephant in the room: after today, things would not be the same. (For this and the next several blog posts, I'm gonna sound pretty full of myself. It's not intentional, nor is it comfortable; but to illustrate my points, it's necessary to convey the opinions of others regarding how awesome I am.)
Seven years is a long time to grow roots, but it didn't take as long as I thought it would to clear out of my office. I started last week, thinking it would take quite some time; it took three days, and I was packed by graduation day, a full week before I would actually leave.
What didn't surprise me were the constant reminders of how much I would be missed, the nice compliments everyone threw my way, and the frequent question: "What are we gonna do without you?" What DID surprise me were the constant comments about my sense of humor--apparently it made quite an impact. The last day or two I haven't stayed too long (having nothing to do but write my exit packet, which I kept brief--if they think I'm that interchangable, then the new guy shouldn't need detailed instructions, right?), and people are already beginning to feel the hole I'm leaving; especially, it seems, from what has been perceived as an eight hour a day stand up routine I do as I talk to people. Me, I'm just being myself; them, they seem to think I'm hilarious.
As I've said before, I don't want to leave. I know this place like the back of my hand, and it's gotten to know me pretty well. My hope is that the new guy won't let atrophy the seven years I've spent getting certain programs working well. This school requires a lot of maintenance, and everyone's convinced that the new guy isn't up to the job. Time will tell.
Ethereally and spiritually, I'm leaving behind a legacy of hard work and positive results. Emotionally, I'm leaving behind some close friendships and a lot of trust.
Physically, however, I'm not leaving behind much.
*SIGH*
From "Jonathan Livingston Seagull":
Sullivan sighed, but he did not argue. "I think I'll miss you,
Jonathan," was all he said. "Sully, for shame!" Jonathan said in reproach, "and don't be foolish! What are we trying to practice every day? If our friendship depends on things like space and time, then when we finally overcome space and time, we've destroyed our own brotherhood! But overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now. And in the
middle of Here and Now, don't you think that we might see each other once or twice?"