For the last month, I've been slowly uninvolving myself in the work I've been doing for 13 years. It's really quite a remarkable experience. Here in SF, I've worked on the same team for 7 1/2 years - though I am the only member who was here years ago. Gradually, I've been counting 'lasts' last staff meeting, last board meeting, last regional conference, last party with our students, last trip to campus, last service project. Some of the 'lasts' have happened before I knew they were going on.
In general, it's becoming surreal. Things that have been dear to me for years are now happening in front of me and I feel differently inside. Instead of a deep connection, I stand like an outside observer. "They" are doing that, not "I". And, like any organization, it is carrying forward with renewed vision and direction. It is a bit like we were on a train, we got off, and the train kept going - barely slowing down. That's exciting for the travelers, but humbling for us. I think we see how replaceable and unimportant we are in reality - not the Titans we were in our own imagination. That, of course, is a healthy and good reality check.
