It's All Temporary

I started a new position at work about 4 months ago.  New boss, new co-workers, new work, new location, which means new cube neighbors, too.

In just those four months, I've seen one person let go, an intern come and go, and someone else just told me yesterday that he's moving on - new job, new company, new city and state.  The rate of change is incredible to me.  And every change has, at least, some small ripple effect.

I'm a relationship builder at work.  I greet people, in the morning. I check out their cubes and inquire about their photos. I ask questions to find out who they are.  I like to know who I'm dealing with - what motivates them, what makes them smile, whether I can trust them.  Even the people I can't see - the ones I work with in other locations - I always find a way to connect in a way that's more than just, "Hey, I need you to do this for me."

Last week, I found out my cube neighbor (the one leaving) likes donuts - even at 3:30 in the afternoon.  I was excited - someone I could invite to join me in my late day sugar-shock pick-me-ups, or just someone to share with.  May sound dumb, but in a new environment where I often feel lonely, it was a pretty bright moment.

So, all that to say, even though everything is so temporary, it's still worth the bright moments that happen.  He probably has no idea how something as simple as being able to share a donut made my day and beyond.  Maybe it was a bright spot for him, too - that someone shared a donut with him?  Either way, I'm happy for him.  And even though it's been a short acquaintance, I'll miss him.

The challenging part in all this is being able to flow with all the change. But, I guess change, too, is temporary.  Maybe it's just how you deal with it, and who's around to accompany you.  And even when the people come and go, and it feels like even many people in my life are temporary, I have to keep in mind that, I guess it doesn't matter how long you're there....it's that you were there at all.