A new year and a new journey

In my previous column I used Ian Fleming's image of the waiting platform for the Orient Express -- which he described as "throbbing with the tragic poetry of departure" -- as a metaphor for the feelings of emptiness, sadness and loneliness we have when we separate from friends and co-workers. I noted that many in IT have experienced those feelings in the past -- sometimes as the people departing and sometimes as the ones watching others depart -- and the odds are many will feel them again as current economic conditions drive corporate consolidations, company closures and workforce reductions.

This column continues those thoughts because I myself will be one of those encountering the tragic poetry of departure. And I will not be watching others depart, I will be boarding the train.  Because of corporate consolidation and migration activities, my current position will be ending.

This action wasn't really a surprise: I knew earlier in the year that my corporate role would be ending. Nevertheless, no matter how much you try to prepare yourself mentally for the end, the feelings of emptiness and sadness grow as the final day approaches.

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In my previous column I used Ian Fleming's image of the waiting platform for the Orient Express -- which he described as "throbbing with the tragic poetry of departure" -- as a metaphor for the feelings of emptiness, sadness and loneliness we have when we separate from friends and co-workers. I noted that many in IT have experienced those feelings in the past -- sometimes as the people departing and sometimes as the ones watching others depart -- and the odds are many will feel them again as current economic conditions drive corporate consolidations, company closures and workforce reductions.

This column continues those thoughts because I myself will be one of those encountering the tragic poetry of departure. And I will not be watching others depart, I will be boarding the train.  Because of corporate consolidation and migration activities, my current position will be ending.

This action wasn't really a surprise: I knew earlier in the year that my corporate role would be ending. Nevertheless, no matter how much you try to prepare yourself mentally for the end, the feelings of emptiness and sadness grow as the final day approaches.

And those feelings are not due to regret, for my current position has been a deeply rewarding experience that I would not change for anything. And they're not due to any anxiety over my next role, for as I noted in my previous column, even though some of us in IT may have to board the train, we carry in our baggage the skills, talents and experience not only to survive but even to thrive in today's economy.

My sadness is more like the sadness one feels when a good neighbor moves or one of your children leaves for college. Many things that have become part of daily life -- talking to your neighbor in the evening or helping your child with homework -- will end. Even those items that created minor irritations -- trying to get your children to clean their rooms and complaining to your wife about the mess the neighbor's dog made in your yard -- bring a sense of sadness because you know they also will end.

As my train pulls into the station, there is a sense of sadness from knowing I will no longer be involved in the corporate IT activities I enjoyed, a sense of emptiness from knowing I will no longer be part of the various initiatives and projects I was involved with, and a sense of loneliness from knowing I will no longer see current co-workers and team members on a daily basis.

Yet as the train doors open, I also begin to feel a sense of anticipation. Soon I will depart and begin to experience new situations, challenges and opportunities. What will my next role entail? Where will it be? What challenges will I face? What successes can I achieve? What rewards can I reap?

There's an old saying "as one door closes, another opens."  While I still feel sadness over the door that is closing, it is quickly being replaced by the anticipation and excitement of what I will encounter on the other side of the door that is opening.

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