So Long, and Thanks for All the Cookies

Like Pavlov’s dog and the bell, these cookies made me salivate on a regular basis

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’m a very lucky person.

Today I’m saying it because I’m happy to announce that I have a new job and it’s my last day at my current place of employment.

Woo hoo!

To be honest, I don’t even want to say I’m leaving my current job. Rather, it’s more like I’m seizing an opportunity and moving on.

This opportunity came along at pretty much exactly the right time, and was the kind of job I was hoping for next. Actually, it’s the kind of job I was hoping for when I left a previous employer back in April 2012. So, yes, I’m very excited about the change, and the fact that things for me professionally seem to be back on track again.

Where I’ve Been

It’s worth noting that I have no ill will toward my current employer — a nice change from how I’ve left previous jobs — and indeed, part of me is sad to be saying goodbye.

My desk on day one, back in August 2013

That’s because Staples isn’t just a company and it isn’t just a place I worked for a little more than a year and a half. It’s not just the place where I ate a ton of delicious cookies (no, really — I ate way too many), or where I got to interview people like Shark Tank investor Lori Greiner or GoldieBlox creator Debbie Sterling. It’s not just the place where my team did a lot of good work and had a lot to be proud of (including our Content Marketing Award for Most Improved Editorial). It’s not just the place where I got Good Humor and Pretzel Crisps to come and give us free snacks. And it’s not just the place where I celebrated milestones like my 40th birthday.

No, Staples is the place where I got myself back on my professional, financial, and mental feet after a period of prolonged unemployment. It’s the place that allowed me to feel happy again. It’s the place where I got much of my mojo back. It’s the place where I became me again.

So for that reason, I’ll always feel a debt of gratitude to the company and — especially — my manager, Norma, for taking me on as a contractor, pushing to make me full-time when the opportunity became available, and being a constant source of encouragement and support. And to Kaitlin and our other teammates for making going to work every day so much fun. Yes, there are good people at every company, but I get lucky every time that I seem to find and become friends with the very best ones.

Had I not had such a good professional and personal experience these past 20 months, I likely would not have even considered taking on this new gig. But thanks to my renewed confidence, I feel ready to move forward, step up, challenge myself, and make a real impact somewhere else.

What’s Next

What will I be doing? Well, I generally try to keep this blog a work-free zone (this post being a rare exception), so I’m not going to mention the name of my new employer here. But I will say that starting Monday, I’m going to be the first-ever content marketing and social media manager for a 200-person company downtown. (Hooray for being back in the city and working for a much smaller company!) I’ll be launching their content program from the ground up, and breathing new life into their social media profiles. Better yet, I’ll be working with and for a good friend and former colleague. How cool is it to work with people who become friends, and who think so highly of you that they want to work with you again. I’m very lucky in that respect too.

One of the lessons of my time unemployed was that things happen for a reason — whenever and however they do — whether there’s a master plan at work, you get what you deserve, or it’s just dumb luck (and it’s usually a mix of all three).

I may have earned this next opportunity, but I sure do feel lucky to have had the experience I did these past 20 months because it’s put me back on the road and helped propel me toward the next step in my career.

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