Me. And the new guy.

 Tomorrow is The New Guy's last day.
We had champagne today and wished him well and are sending him off with our warmest thoughts.
A lot has happened since February 2010, when someone took this photo of me and The New Guy and he's become dear to me.
I cannot say he's the first kid who has breezed through here and made an impression on me but I will say that he is the first one whose leaving has stung. A bit. He wants to go back to school and work in a different field and cannot do either from here.
And so it goes. He goes.
I've got good friends in middle management too, fortunately.
They don't leave so frequently as kids looking to find their way and move up.
And how far have I come since February 2010? Hard to say. I'd have to sit with paper and pen to make a list.
I have grey hair now.
Those pants don't fit me in quite the same way.
I wore those boots today, in his honor.
And I realize that nothing is forever and that that is not easy or hard but just the reality.
It's difficult, sometimes, being the older person at work. One can guess at people's trajectories, speculate on motivations and figure out the choices others make but some of the paths are surprising, not all of the news is good.
I've felt the disappointment when someone doesn't "work out" or isn't "a good fit."
He was a great fit, The New Guy, and I'm so sad to see him go.