Today? Today I should have stayed in bed.

The title?  It pretty much sums up my day (and this post) in two short sentences.

I should have known it was going to be one of those days when I slept through the alarm clock.  That was my first hint.  Right then and there, I should have just called in sick and spent the day in bed.

But no.  Being the eager beaver, people pleaser that I am - I just jumped into overdrive and somehow made it into work on time - early, in fact, 'cause that's how I roll (and I was on the lookout for MY parking spot).

The day quickly went downhill from there.

At 8:30 am one of my bosses (remember I have three and a half) called a select few of us (I should mention here, that this "select few", along with this boss is a pretty tight group and as a group we've been through a lot) together for an impromptu meeting at 8:45 am.  When I groaned at her, "What have we done NOW?!" She laughed and said, "You haven't done anything.....it's good!"  So, I reserved a conference room and marshaled us all together, repeating her mantra that it was "good" as we trooped in.

Upon being seated she announced that she is "retiring" at the end of the month.  The tears flowed around the table at that simple announcement.  She even had the foresight to bring tissues; because she knew how this would affect us.  How was this a "good" thing.  Sure, it's good for her - but we were selfishly thinking of ourselves.

This particular boss, the one that I was originally hired to work for, is AMAZING.  I can't even begin to describe how amazing.  She is so amazing that another staffer has begged me to switch attorneys on many occasions - I've refused every time; mainly because this woman is so awesome and because her attorneys, with the exception of one, are major asses jerks.  She is an advocate for us.  She believes in us.  She treats us as equals.  She is awesome on so many levels.

She is, in a word, a Friend.

I understand the reasons for her leaving and stand behind her 100% but my heart is broken that she is going.  I told her this was a bad time for her to leave me.....since my son will also be leaving me so soon (yes, I did resort to guilt - it didn't work).  She informed me that she wasn't leaving me; she was leaving the company and that she'd only be a phone call away (see why I love her?!).

My big boss has promised to replace her.....but somehow, I don't think her replacement will be the jewel that she is, no one else could possibly live up to her in my estimation.

From there the day, just proceeded to get worse.  When I went to lunch, I discovered that in my haste to get out the door this morning, I neglected to bring a fork or a napkin with my lunch; which I did not realize until I had driven to a local park just to get out of the office for a few minutes to process all that had happened and ponder what the future might hold.  My lunch of chicken salad.

Do you realize just HOW hard it is to eat chicken salad without a fork?  Luckily, I had fast food napkins in my car and I had remembered to bring crackers - so I was able to use the crackers to scoop the chicken salad out of the bowl....but what a loss of dignity!  The geese, and my fellow park-goers, looked at me with disgust (that may have been in my head, but still....).  I may never be able to eat at that park again.

And still later, as I was talking to some colleagues, I very nearly put my eye out with my pen.  MY OWN EYE - WITH MY OWN PEN!  Don't ask me how, I still haven't figured that one out - and my right eye is still kinda twitchy from that very close call; even all these hours later.

Needless to say, once the clock hit 5:00 pm I was out of there like a shot.  I immediately came home, put on my pajamas and poured myself one very large glass of wine and cried to my guys.  After today, I deserve it....and maybe it will help that twitchy eye; I hope.

The guys were equally shocked - they know what a wonderful person she is.  In fact, she sent MC a very generous gift for his graduation last week - to which he replied, "....and she's never even MET me!" (which is is because of our ridiculous rules about "visitors").  She laughed when I told her that and responded, "Oh, I know him alright!" and she does; because she listens.  How many bosses do that?  Actually listen AND genuinely care about you and your family?

Over the years, I've had a few bosses that I've really respected, liked and admired.  But this one?  This one I LOVE (something I don't do with abandon).  She is a wonderful woman and I will treasure the twenty or so days that I have left to work with her (and the six or seven years we've spent together) but boy, oh boy, am I going to miss her when she is gone.  Life at the office will not be the same once she leaves.

But a woman of her caliber I know will go on to bigger and better things once she shakes the dust of this place from her heels.  And our company?  Well, eventually the "powers that be" at our company will be kicking themselves that they let her go; that they didn't promise her the moon to stay.  And I will be there on the sidelines whispering, "I told you so."