a fond farewell

With only one week left to go until I am among the unemployed, coworkers, friends, and guests gathered together at one of my favorite local spots to bid me farewell.

We ate. We drank (a lot). We laughed. We reminisced. We talked - about the future, the present, the past, and everything in between. And we laughed and drank some more.

Honestly, there is nothing better than all of the above. Pure perfection.

And all of that was shared with great people who I've come to know, love, admire, respect in the past 3.5 years of my life.

There was this girl. Who is not only my coworker, she is first and foremost my best friend. And while we met in high school (through our mutual best friend) it wasn't until she started working with me that we became the best of friends.

We are often confused for each other. People come up to me often and mistake me for her. I stare blankly at them while they talk about something we've never discussed before. They are amazed at my long hours on the job (16 in total if we work different shifts the same day). Though, most of the time this works in my favor as she is wonderful, sweet, and amazing. And it doesn't hurt the ego to be compared to someone who you think is absolutely gorgeous.

If we're not confused for the same person, we usually come away with sisters or twins. We think we look nothing alike. And we act even more differently. We are polar opposites and yet, somehow, we've overcome all of those differences, and become best friends.

I will miss her like nothing else.

All in all, I'd say it was a successful night. Full of food and drink and laughter and friends. And yet another reminder of how damn much I am going to miss all of these wonderful people who have graced my life in the past few years. They have become permanent, daily fixtures in my landscape and it's going to be hard to part with them.

Even harder not to have them be a part of my every day life. I've grown so accustomed to seeing their faces and hearing their laughs and expecting them at my side, that to not have that anymore will certainly be a hardship.

And so, I learned how much brighter my life has been with all of them in it.

I learned how much I have to come to expect and appreciate their lives being a part of mine.

I learned how much I am going to miss each and every one of them.

And I learned that after 3 electric lemonades, your tongue will turn blue.