Goodbyes

My last two weeks have been a series of good-bye emails and good-bye lunches and coffees. The latter of course with people whom I have sincerely enjoyed working with during the past year, the prior as a professional hand-over necessity. At times it feels sad, as I have enjoyed working with many people. And then I get regular reminders just why I decided to leave, which makes me oscilate between melancholy and anger. I'm happy and relieved as well, so you can imagine it's a bit of a rolercoaster. But all in all, this has been a positive set of good-byes. Those who can't stand me have had the decency to just remain silent, and those whom I sincerely liked have mirrored that feeling back explicitly, which means a lot to me. As Sheryl Sandberg said in her book Lean In, work isn't about being liked. But, as I would add, it sure does make life easier! My life after this year may again be a tad bit more cynical with respect to working at any institution (greetings, internal politics!), but it's also several relationships - and perhaps even friendships - richer. It's time to leave this career year behind, and move on. Thank you to all of the angels among you who have supported me in this, and also for the recent feedback. Always more than appreciated, thank you!