Bad News
I mentioned in my last post that I received some bad news at work. My supervisor, who I adore, accepted a new position in another city. It's a hybrid role where she'll be closer to family and where she can grow more, so of course I'm happy for her. But selfishly, it's going to be a difficult adjustment. Her last day was on Friday, and I feel like her last two weeks with us flew by.
She's the one who hired me, and she has believed in my capabilities since day one. I'm not exaggerating when I say that she's the best boss I've ever had, and that's largely because she led in a way that felt so very human. She valued work-life balance, she was always ready with a joke or a good story, and she never micromanaged or put unrealistic expectations on me, while recognizing what I could and did accomplish.
She also served as an anchor for me with the rest of the team. I'm a pretty introverted person, and it's hard for me to make friends, especially in a remote role where I don't see people face-to-face every day. When we had team meetings or work parties, she kind of bridged the gap between us because she was the person we all had in common, the person who checked in with us every week and knew the important things that were going on in our lives.
It feels a bit devastating to lose her as a supervisor, and I'm just hoping that whoever fills her role can even halfway live up to her.
On top of that, Danny has recently suffered a personal loss. A family friend who was like an uncle to him passed away from liver cancer. He and his wife came to our wedding reception, and he was one of the sweetest people I've met. Danny often went over to his house to hang out and help him with yard work. I didn't know him quite as well as Danny did, but I remember him as a soothing, good-humored presence, always with a smile on his face.
I can't help but think about my aunt, who I lost to cancer last year. I have things in my apartment that still remind me of her. I made bacon gravy a few nights ago and was overwhelmed by the memory of her making breakfast with bacon gravy for my cousins and me when I was a kid. Loss keeps knocking the breath out of you, again and again.