Before the new can come...

Today it was official and public that I am leaving (reluctantly?  unexpectedly?) Whatcom, and beginning a new adventure, though it will be a protracted, six month good-bye.  I have to admit that I was a bit shy at work today.  I would say about 3/4 of the people I saw in the halls avoided mentioning it all, and the other 25% were very kind.  Several people who mentioned it were exceptionally and sometimes unexpectedly kind.  I am touched.

There have been no shortage of suggestions of how to handle all of this.  The best that I have heard so far, and the one that I am trying to follow above all else is this:  How you leave the room is sometimes just as important as how you enter the room.  I have to work at Whatcom for possibly the next six months, and I have to depend on all those who I work for and with for my success during this time.  Probably, for my future job(s), too.  So, I am working hard at learning how to leave a room.

One person, a person who I really respect, shared the following, and I also strongly believe this:

旧的不去，新的不来

 

jiu de bu qu, xin de bu lai

 

"If the old does not go, the new will not come."

There are multiple interpretations and views of this statement.  I have to figure out which one to choose, as it will really affect my attitude as I leave the room.  Interestingly enough, all of the photos that I have taken in the past few days really tell me the same thing...