Goodbye

For anyone who missed both the e-mail and the hard copy I left in the message book, here's a copy of my goodbye letter to the O'Leary staff. And if you're not O'Leary staff, quit reading and mind your own business.

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June 26, 2008

To the O’Leary Staff,

I have tried to write this letter several times over the past few days, without much success, and I’m sure as soon as I send it, I’ll think of something I would have liked to have changed or added, but you’ll just have to suffer through this version. It’s more or less what I would have liked to say at the inservice on Saturday, but since I’m not very good at speechifying (which spell-check is telling me is actually a real word!), I decided it would be best to do it this way.

I want to give my most sincere thanks for the cards and gifts which I received on Saturday. I was genuinely touched by the sentiments expressed within them. I got a little choked up as they were given to me (I tried to hide it, but at least one person saw right through that), and even more so as I read all of the comments later on.

I also want to thank everyone for being such a great staff to work with. I’ve said it many times before, but the truth is that the single biggest reason I’ve stayed at O’Leary for so long is the people. It really has been great to be able to come in to work every day knowing that I’m going to work and hang out with people I genuinely enjoy and care about. I really believe that I’ve worked with the best staff in the city.

Finally, I just want to say thank you for all that this pool and the staff here have done for me over these years. When I started here, as I’m sure Lisa, as the last surviving member of that era, will attest to, I was extremely shy and painfully awkward. My first couple sessions did not go very well at all and it took me a while to find my place. However, with Christie, Dao, Lesley, Lisa, Jenni, and Nicki’s gentle (or, in Jenni’s case, blunt) guidance, I did eventually get things figured out. I give the people here a lot of the credit for shaping me into the less shy, slightly less awkward, and exponentially more crass person that I am today. And for that, I am grateful.

I wish all of you the best, both in your time at the pool and in your future endeavours. For those of you who are still new to the pool, I really encourage you to hang out for a few minutes before and after your shift and get to know the people you’re working with. They really are great people and doing so will not only help you do your job better, it’ll make it a whole lot more fun.

When I started here, I never would have imagined that would stay for so long, that I would get so much out of this job, or that I would form relationships with so many terrific people which I intend to continue for years to come. This letter has become far sappier then I had intended, so I’ll leave with one final thought. I hope that during my time here I have made your experience at least a little more enjoyable, and that you can get as much out of working here as I have.

Thank you all,

David