Goodbyes... and hellos

I worked my last shift at the kitchen store today. It was bittersweet. I am excited for the next chapter of my life, but am really glad that this chapter happened. I didn't plan on this 6 month stint. I hated most of it. But looking back, I learned some valuable things, made some great friends, and proved myself to be a valuable person.

Some lessons:
-Don't try to get ahead by cheating others. Even if you do get ahead, those you cheated will dislike you. I watched a co-worker do this. It hasn't gotten her fired... yet.
-Learn how to deal with crazy. It comes in all shapes and sizes. The ability to take it, then deal with it later, is invaluable.
-Always be gracious. No matter how horribly the person has treated you in the past.
-Listen to stories, even when you have heard them already. Even though the Portuguese accent grates on the nerves sometimes.
-Always do thorough, correct work. two reasons... A) no one else has to go back and fix it, B) everyone will miss your work when you are gone.

Saying goodbye was hard. My boss almost cried. My manager tried to blow it off as not important, but based on the number of times she tried to convince me not to leave, combined with the number of times she said she was going to really miss me, i think she was at least sad.

Less than an hour after clocking out for the last time, my new job (scheduled to start Monday) called and asked if I could come in tomorrow to help. So I am ready to say hello. To a new world, a new life, and new opportunities.