December 18th, 2005
Saying Goodbye
Sometimes people come into your life and take up an unassuming, yet special place. You can’t really place why it happens and at times, you don’t realise their importance, till they leave. The more emotional make promises of keeping in touch, mailing regularly, and at times, maybe a little more than that. But it usually tapers off and eventually they become a memory.
Why don’t people realise the importance of saying goodbye?
Why do people pretend that it’s not the end and make a ghost out of what could be a monument?
Are we such cowards or so driven by our pretentious pride to show how unaffected we are that we become unkind enough not to state in clear words and communicate to a person our appreciation of their role in shaping us?
My company’s HR manager has moved on in her career and yesterday was her last day in office.
About 2 years ago, when I met her for the first time, I was a very different person from what I am today. A considerable amount of my conscious decision to be a better manager and a better person was a result of the chain reaction she set off in the company. We had a lot of fights initially and though things quietened down as we developed a mutual respect and a ‘hands-off’ approach toward each other, things never really became rosy (we had a verbal duel just a fortnight ago). She dropped the right phrases at the right time, discreetly pointed out the direction to take, was a patient mentor when it came to handling people and in general, taught me some valuable lessons.
I am going to miss her in this office. I wish I had said my goodbye better.