During the 3 months from the time I made my decision to the actual retirement date, I was busier than I thought I would be. I was asked to put together a series of documents for helping people understand QA when they don't have the QA background. Took a lot of time but I'm really proud of what I put together. But wow, it took almost all of my time. And then, I had to go through 9 years of saved emails and files. That took FOREVER! What to keep, what to trash, what to forward. I spent many nights and weekends going through all of that stuff. I wanted to make sure that I left my little world as clean as possible for the person taking over.
The last month was a whirl of lunches and dinners and parties. I very rarely went to lunch - it just wasn't my thing. But I cannot even count the number of lunches that I went to during those last weeks. And, I'm so glad I did. It was wonderful to be able to have the time to say good-bye to all of the wonderful people I met during the my 9 years.
One of the other managers that I worked with closely in the team was also taking VRO. His situation was different - he was only 56 and planned to find another job. The team set up an after work party at the Silver Spring for the two us and it was fantastic. Our team, at the time, was about 120 strong and I had hired and/or managed many of them. It was so wonderful to be able to see them all and talk with them. The team gave me a beautiful throw with a lighthouse on it (they know my passion for lighthouses!) and they had a photo book made of pictures of the team from our summer picnic and Christmas party. It was probably the coolest present I ever got. I really loved both!
Individuals from both our QA team and other teams that I worked closely with gave me personal gifts too and I cherish each one and the kind thoughts that came with them.
So now I keep waiting until that magic date - March 31 when my life will change.
Retirement for Me!
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