Colleagues come and go. That is normal. There's always a new joiner every month, and there are also people who opt to go away and move on every month. However, even though this is a normal occurrence, there are times when it is a sad event whenever someone leaves the room for the very last time.
See, there have been a few occurrences when people have left the team when they decided to move on. However, two of these departures hit me more than others, I suppose. Back in December, a colleague left, who happened to have become a good friend and confidant. It was indeed depressing to lose an ally in the room. In any case, life goes on, and you find alternative ways of keeping in touch. It might not be on a daily basis in the office, but it can take other forms, like having coffee and macarons on a weekend.
Another instance was in January. Another colleague left, and it happened to be during a very busy time. I have been running around moving and shaking things, and in the midst of it all, this colleague's last day was fast approaching. Only at the very end have I realised that there would be one less person in my table, which was when it had dawned on me that this colleague was moving on. The interesting thing is that even though it was a sad occasion, I am definitely happy for them, since for these individuals, it is indeed a positive change.
In any case, there's always this weird taste in the mouth that you get when you're part of the group that gets left behind. And who knows, perhaps there would also come a point in time when one says that it is time to move on. And that point might be just around the corner.
