All About the Dad by Margaret Hart
This week it’s all about the Dad. A Dad who is making a change in his professional career, and moving on to bigger and better things, as is often said when one makes a positive career change. For my son, it’s more about a Dad who, as a result of a new, shorter commute, will not have to leave quite as early in the morning, and may, just may, be home a little earlier for dinner every now and again.
Friday was my husband’s last day at a firm where he was employed for 12 years, 10 months, and 21 days—numbers my son, who loves math, finds intriguing. His departure was both bittersweet and exciting. He will miss colleagues, and a place that was home away from home for 12 to 14 hours a day, for more than a decade, and an office where he once pulled an all-nighter for a client by sleeping on top of a credenza.
As we celebrated this new chapter in his career, we also reflected on the past 12 years, and couldn’t help but come up with a list of random factoids; some of which made us laugh, and others made us cry, including:
- surviving several rounds of layoffs, salary freezes, and salary reductions
- several ownership changes
- numerous email address and business card changes
- three bosses
- two title changes and promotions
- several company cell phones (lost, damaged or changed)
- two different office buildings in lower Manhattan
- four different offices within those buildings
- two “Super Storms” that shut down the building (Hurricanes Irene and Sandy), and
- 9/11, which changed everyone and everything, forever.
He also traveled a lot. And every time it was hard on me and my son. Especially since 9/11, I worry about terrorism and airplanes exploding in the sky.
It ‘s hard to estimate how many miles he has logged on planes, trains, and automobiles, but it is a big number. He traveled all over the United States and the world, many places for the first time, including Berlin, Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Helsinki, and Mexico City— every time bringing home something special for me and our son. A favorite gift was the Angry Birds loot brought back from the company store in Helsinki.
He traveled to far flung places, and once stayed in a hotel that had no television or telephone, and no cell phone coverage.
So here’s to the Dad for a job well done. Good luck on your next journey. We’ll see you for dinner tomorrow.
Tags: 9/11, career change, career factoids, celebrating a new job, Commuting, Dad, home for dinne, home for dinner, Hurricane Irene, long career, lower Manhattan, New York City, son misses dad, Super Storm Sandy, survivor
