On Past Work Places

Vicki and I were out at a Christmas party last night generously put on by the consulting company that's found Vicki a couple of her contracts over the past several years (and my own short-lived one in 2009). Many of the contractors at the event were old friends of ours from the days when we both worked at the bank (I lost count at about 15 familiar faces now marked by greyer hair or more creases). Because of that, it was a lot like a work reunion, 10 or 15 years out. Many of them seemed quite interested to hear that I'd written a couple of books (and was working on a new one) and that both Vicki and I were enjoying a form of semi-retirement, especially because we're younger than most of the folks who were there. It was great to catch up with so many people who had once been such a regular part of my life, but also kind of depressing to realize that most were much more inclined to talk about "glory days" from the 90s than to gush about what they were doing now. I guess I'm just more of a live-in-the-present type, and I can't help but feel sad when I see that sort of thing happening. If your best days aren't happening right now, then how do you drag yourself out of bed in the morning? Isn't that the way it's supposed to work: ever upward and onward?

All of that reflecting back got me wondering whether I'll have some similar experience with friends from my more recent employment, somewhere down the road. I've done a much better job - so far, at least - at keeping in touch with the folks who knew me as their Agile Manager than I ever did with the banking group. Even a year after leaving that job in the financial sector in 2001, my contacts there had shrunk to about 3 or 4, compared to the dozens that I'm still talking to sixteen months out from walking away from being the Agile Manager. Considering that about 1/3 of that most recent work force have since left that company (most by their own choice; a few through layoffs or contract terminations) it's a good thing that e-mail, Instant Messenger and this blog all provide such good vehicles for continued communication; otherwise I think it'd be almost impossible to maintain contact.

We must be getting to the end of yet another year, as that always seems to be when these retrospective thoughts come out. Hurry up and get here, January, so that we can all start looking forward again... like we're supposed to!