Last Day in the Office

I've been anticipating my last day at work for awhile, but now that it's come and gone, it's kind of surreal (but not in a bad way). Like, for instance, when I realized that I didn’t have to reset my cell phone alarm for 7:20am or turn it to vibrate on Monday morning. I’ve been getting up earlier so I can get a jump on applying for writing gigs, but it’s nice to know that I don’t have to.

Today, in fact, I got up at 6am, because I was so excited about being full time freelance. I started emailing people (who probably think I am crazy for being on Gmail at 6am on a Saturday) and knocking things off my (rather lengthy) to-do list. Then I hit the gym, wrote an article, supervised a photo shoot for one of my other articles, and shopped for office supplies at Staple’s. That way I won’t have to feel guilty when I do my laundry or take a long lunch during the workday (competition is stiff for the dryer in the adjacent building – must schedule strategically).

You’re probably wondering how my last day at the office went. I won’t bore you with the details, but everyone seemed really, genuinely supportive. It helps that I’ve agreed to take them on as a client so we can tie up a few more projects. As I walked to the bar after work for my going away party, one of my coworkers mentioned that she’d invited a friend to join us.

“I hope that’s OK.”

“Of course,” I said. “Everyone is welcome.”

Her friend arrived and asked the obligatory question about what I’m doing next. “I’m a full time freelance writer now!” I announced proudly, unsure if this would mean anything to him.

“Really?” he answered. “I work for a PR agency, and we’re always looking for freelancers.”

I told him that I have a degree in public relations and shamelessly offered him my business card, which he accepted.

Like I said before, “everyone is welcome.”