The Teamwork Twins Are No More

A Day for goodbyes - two people I worked with over the years are taking "Release" (that's voluntary redundancy in realspeak) and have to go by the end of August. One is someone who trusts me enough to invite me to the "secret leaving" bash for those who they feel have always been good confidentes and "get it" I've also been entrusted with her collection of sarky cartoons with the command to "never lose the cycnicsm" (fat chance of that). I was touched to be included in the "trusted" crowd so roll on more drinking in the city in a couple of weeks time. I'll miss her as she was someone who really appreciated the value of being organised and knew me back when I was a humble secretary and was pleased that I got on OK.

The other person is someone who I hold in such a high regard that I'd recommend sainthood (only I'd prefer her to stay alive actually) She is definitely one of the "good people" and I'm elated that she is going before the company won and sucked the vitality out of her. I admire her decisveness and positive outlook so much - she doesn't have another job to go to yet, isn't stressed by this and is looking forward to, in her own words" being able to make a difference somewhere else where it is appreciated but on her terms". She has always sought to be fair to others and challenge unfairness at every level where she encountered it despite not exactly being given the even handed treatment back.

She made me face up to the harsh choices available to me in my own life and never failed to make me laugh and was a very good rant-sponge for those days when I was being a toxic emotional slice of pity. She isn't a mood hoover and will always talk sense (at least I "get it" - we are on the same planet, I don't know about the rest of you). There aren't many people I can think of who would have done a performance of "Working 9-5" as part of a team event but she did. If there ever was a role model for being a real person, she's it!

And I've told her all these things as one of the lessons she's taught me is the importance of saying things that matter to the people that need to hear it when they need to hear it. There is nothing worse than an "if only" when it comes to friends.

"Do You Realize - that everyone you know someday will die
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun don'-go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round"

We were once paired together on a bowling "fun" evening as a type of team building and didn't take it seriously, earning several black marks from the organiser for not being concerned that we were dragging the scores down - that we both didn't tell them where to poke it was testimony to an inner strength we didn't know we possessed. But what we were very good at was encouraging each other hence the caption of the exceptionally unflattering photo taken to commemorate this event "The Team Work Twins"

So to Jo - cheers you changed my life and made me a better person. Be in touch.