2008-07-27
My last day at Lilly
Today, 27th June 2008 was my last working day with the company I had been with for the last 14 years.
How do I feel? A small portion of me is sad because I will definitely miss some of the wonderful people I grew close to, but a massive portion of me is ecstatic.
From the first day, 6 months ago, I first notified management that I would be leaving at the end of June 2008, it felt like the world had been lifted off my shoulders.
Why did I decide to leave after so many years? There were various reasons which I won’t go into, but the two most important reasons are; the traffic and ofcourse my heart is in Jeffreys Bay.
Let me start at the beginning…………….
Approximately 12 years ago, I met a wonderful man who worked at the same company as me.
We were very good friends. A few months after he left Lilly, I was invited to a wedding. I needed a partner. I asked him as I knew he was single and could do with a bit of fun. He accepted.
From that night we started getting closer, but having gone through 2 failed marriages I wasn’t
taking any chances. I told him that I could see where our relationship was going, however before it proceeds, I was going to jot down a few “conditions” that he would need to accept if our relationship was going to advance. I duly made the list….from “a through to point q”…..yes I can imagine whats going through your minds…..LOL…but being the gentleman he is, he gracefully took the list. The idea was for him to think about the points and whether he was prepared to accept them. Well the fact that he phoned me a few days later asking me on another date, was a good sign…LOL
Our relationship blossomed from thereon. On numerous occasions during our early days, he kept on telling me about this place called “Jeffreys Bay”. As I did not like change that much, I didn’t show that much interest. This went on for approximately 4 to 5 years, where he would tell me that we should go to Jeffreys Bay sometime.
Eventually, one day, I have no idea what got over me, I agreed with him that we should go and see what this place is that he brags so much about.
We went……we were very talkative on the way down…..when we arrived, we stayed at the
Pinnaquin Hotel. We drove around on a miserable April day….and while driving around we saw a For Sale sign for units in a complex which are situated on a sea water canal and 50m away from the beach. The pricing then was awesome. After viewing a few units, we purchased a 2-bedroomed duplex.
There and then I left my heart in Jeffreys Bay…..driving back to Johannesburg we did so in
total silence…neither of us wanted to come back…. neither of us wanted to admit that our hearts
stayed behind. It was a horrible drive back.
A few days later, we discussed our goals for the coming years. We agreed on our main goal which was within 5 years to move down to Jeffreys Bay. Well I never got an argument from him and he never got one from me….it was AGREED!!
Sadly in the 5th year, we werent financially stable enough to take such a huge risk, so we decided to just carry on. Every December we made a point of spending our holidays in Jeffreys Bay.
We always left with a heavy heart. Neither had much to say to the other on the way back to Johannesburg.
Last year I decided to take the bull by the horns and re-started the discussion as I was becoming sick and tired of the Johannesburg traffic. There were times when I just burst into tears the moment I hit the traffic….I had seriously had enough. There were other reasons adding to this frustration (work related) but I wont go into that. Needless to say, I was fed-up. My lively personality was crumbling.
I was starting to feel stifled. I had to get out.
During our discussion we both tried to find an answer to the question…..”What had we gained/lost in the last 2 years? Conclusion: We lost more than we gained. We had our answer.
We, ok maybe I 
decided that seeing as I am the lower earner of the two, I will resign (after giving 6 months notice), which is what happened. I was very sad for doing it as I really enjoyed working for my existing boss (South Africans can learn a lot from European management), or maybe I was just fortunate enough to have this particular gentleman for a boss. Nevertheless, I had to think of myself and my partner.
Once I had notified all relevant parties about my impending resignation from the company, I felt like a ton had been lifted from my shoulders. I knew then that as difficult a decision as it was, its one that had to be made.
I started counting down from a few months ago to weeks to days to hours 
And that brings me to today!
There are numerous people who had a significant impact on my life……you know who you are. I might name them at a later stage. I would however like to thank them for their valuable time and effort spent on me, as well as their guidance and patience and most importantly, their friendship.