Leaving Lasting Memories

Friends never say goodbye -- they simply say “See you again.”

By Phoebe Pineda

Point to Ponder: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” --Maya Angelou

Storyline: People leave their jobs for a myriad of reasons, whether they’ve found a better opportunity elsewhere, are dissatisfied with their current job, or are simply ready to move on to the next stage of their life.  There are many ways to say goodbye to your colleagues, whether with a goodbye, a hug, or an “I’ll miss you.”  But how can you tell someone how much they meant to you, and how important they were to your experience?

Whenever he left a job to pursue something new, Anand took a cue from his dad and wrote a personal letter to each of his colleagues, from close team members to suppliers, customers, and many others he’d developed relationships with during his time in the workplace.  In the days leading up to his final retirement, he went one step further, creating over 100 one-page PowerPoint collages with pictures, meaningful quotes, and email exchanges to capture the memories he had with each person (or the team) -- trips they’d taken, projects they’d worked on, triumphs they’d shared.  Even now, years later, he still encounters old colleagues at the farmer’s market or during an invitation to dinner and reminisces over the memories they shared.

If you’ve spent time at any organization -- a school, a club, a company -- you’ve likely made some friends and lasting memories.  Why not celebrate them?  Every ending is a chance to reflect, and like all things, reflecting and reminiscing are more fun when you share them with others.

Try also to leave on good terms with people, even if you didn’t always agree with them on certain issues.  You never know when your paths might cross again--and every disagreement was a learning experience you’ll carry with you in the next stage of your life.

(Pictured below are two collages, one made for my dad and one for the team in Malaysia.  Each collage featured three components: work-related memories, such as the graph at right; personal quotes and messages, in the bottom right and middle; and photos of memorable moments.)

Reflection: When I think of lasting memories, I think of high school, the smell of uncapped Sharpies permeating the air, ink staining fingertips as people scribble notes--hasty or heartfelt--in each other’s yearbooks.  Yearbook signatures are like miniature time capsules of your relationship with a person.  We’ve all written “HAGS” (have a great summer) in the yearbook pages of people we didn’t know well.  But the notes we look back on are the stories -- the inside jokes from English class, the impromptu late-night trips to Trader Joe’s, the hours you spent with people at track practice or rehearsals for Seussical or working on the school newspaper, long after everyone else had gone home.

My final goodbye to high school was an Instagram account I ran with my best friend where we posted memes (Internet jokes) based on classic literature.  It was a fun way to spend the last few months of high school and pay tribute to our English classes (and our English teachers, who we still love dearly), and even though neither of us have the time to update it anymore, it’s fun to look back on some of the memories we captured and the reactions from our classmates.  One post I always return to is a series of memes I made about our graduation ceremony, an event that was as chaotic and unintentionally hilarious as it was emotional.  For all the difficulties many of my classmates and I experienced during those formative years, we could always get through it with humor and heart -- and I know that for all the grievances I’ve had with my university, when the time comes to say goodbye, I’ll look back on my time here fondly.

Final thoughts:

Entering your third year of college after spending a third of your undergraduate career on Zoom is a strange experience.  Many of my peers and I still feel like second years, barely acquainted with this brave new world of experimentation and possibility yet already being asked to contemplate our next steps.

We tend to think of college as a final destination, the culmination of thirteen long years of hard work, but it’s really a transitional space.  I think that’s true of a lot of stages in our lives: the end of one journey is the beginning of another, and there’s always a weird in-between to negotiate.  There’s a time for looking back, reflecting on where you’ve been and what you’ve learned, but eventually you must move forward, to go new places and learn new things.  Whether you’re a high school freshman or a senior in college, a newcomer to the workforce or a soon-to-be retiree, I think this advice will help all of us navigate two of the most significant times in your life -- the bookends of adulthood.

 

(Thank you all for your kind words on my previous post -- I’m glad I was able to make a good first impression.)

Originally from the SF Bay Area, Phoebe Pineda currently studies Writing and Literature at the University of California Santa Barbara's College of Creative Studies.  In addition to storytelling, she enjoys sunset-watching, road trips, and making art.

Comments

[Mina]

Nice article! Heartily agree that of leaving one’s workplace in good terms is an excellent practice and that Anand is exceptional in how he handled it.

[TF-Iceland]

Wonderful...this is one of my favourite posts so far ❤

[Mary Abel]

Wonderful reflection this week! I am always amazed at the images, collages videos and overall collection of images Anand puts together. They are wonderful works of art! Thank you!

[Former Support Staff]

A well written good read with a few memories encapsulated from various people's pasts. Keep writing!

[Nilima]

Excellent guide line when you leave a job or school or college or any field with healthy relations with everyone.

[humble warrior]

Awesome take, keep them coming!

[HighSchool Friend]

It is beautifully written and very well responded by many. Anand, you have learned the lessons of life, internalized it, and given commendable presentation. I almost don’t miss reading your FR. Over the period, I know each one has a point to make in a subtle way. I like that style. Please continue this simple pleasures of weekly routine.

[Thomas]

Excellent take on "final destination" vs. "period of transition." They're all periods of transition if you decide to be a life-long learner. Thanks for a great article.

[Sam]

Completely agree. In fact I have so many memorable experiences with Anand. Until I met Anand, I barely used to read books. After spending some time with him, I started reading and learning from others. Also, I remember the extra effort he took to share his memories as he left the workplace.

You are absolutely right to think about our Life as different seasons of a drama in Netflix. Each season has its string of surprises and challenges. But as we learn and grow through these experiences, we live our Life purpose of being valuable to others. Looking forward to your next :)

[sams]

first off, i love your writing style! secondly, i wholeheartedly agree with what you have written here. today was my last day at a preschool that i’ve worked at for the last few months. i want to be an elementary school teacher, so working with kids for this time has been an immersive experience into learning about how i can best guide them and interact with them. i’ve learned so much from my coworkers, who are seasoned teachers that have modeled prime examples of what a good teacher should do. i’ve loved my work for the last few months, but it’s now time to move on. i start college in a month, and i couldn’t be more excited.

saying goodbye to the kids and my coworkers was hard today, but i know that i’ll always treasure the experiences and lessons that i have gotten from them. i also know that in college i will have new experiences and learned different lessons, and i’m ready to go dive into my next venture.

this was a great article which gave wonderful advice! keep up the fantastic work Phoebe <3