Saying goodbye is not easy for me.  In fact, for me, farewells usually involve tears.  It’s been that way ever since I was a little girl.  I remember crying when my cousins moved to North Carolina (I was five years old).  I cried a lot when my best friend Megan moved away.  There were lots and lots of tears when we made our move from RI to GA.  And it’s pretty much the same story with every other goodbye since. 

What can I say, I’m an emotional person!

Times may be changing though because I didn’t shed a single tear at my goodbye lunch today at Olive Garden.  That’s not to say I wasn’t on the brink of tears. 

Before I go on about my emotional self, can we just talk about how much Olive Garden has improved over the years?!  My friends and I used to go a lot in high school, but since then, I‘ve only been a handful of times.  The quality of the food has vastly improved over the past 10 years.  I was impressed by the Minestrone soup, fresh salad (four bowls worth), and warm breadstick that was my lunch.  And everyone else’s meals looked equally as delicious.  Next time, I definitely want to try one of the desserts.

YUM.

Ok, so back to me.  I’ve been with my current company for almost two years.  And because of the leadership program I’m a part of, I’ve had the opportunity to live and work in three different geographic locations (AZ –> MA –> and now FL).  I’ve learned a lot along the way, but honestly, the people I’ve met and gotten to know are what have made the past two years so special.

I remember my last team meeting in Tucson.  I was an emotional wreck.  As soon as I started tearing up, about 2/3 of the team joined me.  And right before I left Marlborough, I hugged one of my coworkers for two minutes (while crying). 

So as you can imagine, I was super impressed by my sense of composure today.  The team in Florida has been awesome to work with.  I seriously have had the best luck with coworkers.  It’s just that there are so many fun things happening in the next two months…I’m honestly just too excited to cry.  Also, I know that I can always visit since St. Pete is only 3.5 hours from Fort Lauderdale. 

I like to call these bittersweet times.  I’m leaving a company that has provided me with some amazing opportunities over the past couple of years and coworkers that have made the journey worthwhile.  However, I know that keeping in touch with everyone will be easy with all the technology that’s available. 

And anyway, there’s no reason to get sappy just yet…I still have 1.5 weeks left.  They can’t get rid of me that easily!  We’ll see how I fare next Friday (my last official day).  Will Parita’s tears make an appearance??  Only time will tell!

Are you an emotional person?  Do you cry easily?  If not, how do you show your sadness?