Have you ever had a chance to go back to a former place of employment after being away for several years? It can be a surreal experience. Five years ago, I left the bank I used to work for to become a writer. I still keep in touch with several of my former co-workers and I consider them to be friends. I met a couple of them for lunch yesterday and afterward, one of them took me back up to the ninth floor where I used to work. The place looks exactly like it did the day I left.
We walked by my old desk, which is now used for storage, which shows you just how necessary I really was around there. I walked over and chatted for a couple of minutes with several people I haven't spoken with since I left. That was fun. We shared a few old stories about the way things used to be. And then I left, with promises to keep in touch with the people I've kept in touch with, and the funny thing is, even after all these years, my decision to leave still felt right.
Not because of the people. I miss seeing many of them every day. But more so because I had reached a point in my professional career in which I wanted to pursue something else and while my writing career looks different than I had originally envisioned, I'm still happy I made the decision I did. And I'm proud of the fact that I've been able to keep in touch with the friends I made while I was still at the bank. It's almost like I have the best of both worlds. I'm doing what I want to do, but I still get to see the friends I used to work with.
