The Snarky Sassy Snapple Sendoff

I am not a fan of change, Modern Philosophers.

Change means breaking from my routine, and I am a creature of habit.

Of course, there’s that famous quote about insanity being defined as doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome.

But who bases their life choices on famous quotes?

I’m very stubborn.  Even if I know that logic dictates change will be good, I will still resist it because I don’t always think logically.

Today, however, I came across something on Twitter that made me rethink my philosophy on change.  Here’s the exact tweet…

Not all change is scary. Some change is absolutely necessary…

— Austin (@Austin_Hodgens) July 11, 2019

Oh, wait. I wrote that.  Apparently, I’ve had a change of heart about change.

Today was my last day at the desk job I’ve had for the past nine years.  I’m a bit nervous about trying something new, but I’m also excited for new adventures.

You know, until I can support myself full time as a writer.

Even though I’d convinced myself that change was necessary in this case, I was still sad about leaving colleagues who had become very important to a quirky introvert who isn’t much of a fan of people.

But at least I had a going away party to look forward to today.

Office parties can be great, but they’re never quite Dwight hosting a party at Schrute Farms great.  I was just hoping there would be good food and some nice memories.

It all started off spectacularly.  As I was walking across the parking lot to the employee entrance, a coworker pulled up, rolled down her window, and handed me a Snapple.

When I got to my desk, there were two big jugs of Snapple waiting for me.

These people really do know me well!

Over the course of the day, whenever I’d get up from my desk to do something, I’d return to find little love notes from my coworkers.

I’m not going to share all of them because they are private and special, but here are a few, just to give you an idea of how wonderful they made me feel…

Now some people saw these, and thought my coworkers were being mean.  That could not be further from the truth.

I understood that these were all meant in good fun, and I laughed at every little note that magically appeared on my keyboard.

After all, these folks were dealing with the tragic loss of me from their lives.  It was going to be very difficult for them, and I wanted them to feel free to express themselves in whatever way felt right.

My only comment was that they would’ve been even funnier had the letters been cut out of magazines and then taped together like a ransom note.

We had pizza, homemade mac and cheese (at my request because this has long been my favorite staple of office parties), and delicious cookies.  In fact, a large tray of homemade date squares (another personal favorite) found its way to my desk.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an office party without a cake.

As much as I love cake, I did have a problem with this one.

They spelled my name wrong!!!

At least it tasted good.  And the sugar rush awakened me from my pizza/mac and cheese induced food coma.

It was a sad day, but also a happy one.  I’m going to miss my coworkers, but I hope that in this age of technology, we can somehow figure out how to stay in touch even if we don’t see each other eight hours a day, five days a week.

Change can be scary, but it always can be accompanied by cake and pizza.  And there really isn’t much in life that’s more comforting than that.

Thank you to everyone who made me feel special today.  If I were better with words, I’d better express how much it meant to me…