Reflections

I am slowly but surely being phased out at CEP.  My farewell lunch has been scheduled (June 5^th at the Army Navy Club, the go-to office lunch spot for CEP). It has been decided who will take my desk when I leave (Brian, the incoming intern and one of two named Brian [confusing, I know, especially in light of the fact that one of the two males currently worked in our office is already named Bryan]). I have been asked whether my workload is slowing down as my last day approaches and I am therefore in need of more projects (it’s not, and I’m not). And, in response to all of these impending farewell gestures, I am feeling…a combination of many things. I am excited at the thought of moving on to my second PP55 fellowship at the New York Center for Child Development, where I will have the opportunity to work directly with special needs children and psychologists on staff.  I am nervous at the prospect of leaving a city I have grown so familiar with for a city that is unknown and seems overwhelming and maybe slightly hostile. I am grieving the loss of my long summer vacations—taken for granted and too little loved for so many years and now wholeheartedly missed.  But I think my predominant emotion right now is gratefulness. This past year has had its ups and downs for sure, but overall I was blessed with a wonderful work experience with people who I believe genuinely cared about me and my interests and my happiness. And as a result, I think I really grew enormously…not just as a “young professional,” but as a person as well. As I head up to Reunions tonight, I’m looking forward to connecting with the AlumniCorps staff and hopefully some of the founders of PP55 at the AlumniCorps Open House tomorrow and telling them in person how fortunate I was to have been accepted into this program. The extent of the impact that a small but dedicated group of people can have is really amazing…which, now that I think about it, is the premise of many of the PP55 nonprofits as well. What a strong community of thinkers, creators, and difference-makers I’ve been inducted into…OK, now I’ve come full-circle back to excitement!