Sitting on the sixth floor of the office in the White Collar Factory where I work, a few days before Christmas, it’s my last day working in London, my last day working in Islington. The weather outside damp and grey. In my heart, emotions muddled and mixed.
Sad, as I finish work, I leave behind so many kind and talented people. People that have provided me with energy and stimulation for a quarter of my working life. People who have helped me through significant life moments. The death of my father, divorce , new relationships, or children leaving home. People that have helped me. People that have shaped me.
Mixed in are feelings of excitement and anticipation for the future. A future where the structure and rhythm of Monday to Friday no longer limits what I can do. Free as a bird to fly, fly where the air is free, where the air is clear.
Earlier in the day, my last day commuting, as I enter the station at Peterborough “delayed”, “delayed”, “delayed” appear against all the trains to Kings Cross. Ordinarily, my heart would sink. Today my inner voice utters “yeeeessss”. My last day commuting will be a day that’s unpredictable, but at the same time has a sense of normalcy.
Walking to the office, I pass the Angel Islington. A place so familiar. A formative place. A place my father had his first independent wine shop back in the 1970s. The place I started my first job. Aged ten, we delivered leaflets round the streets behind the shop. Later on, during Christmas 1978 aged fourteen stacking shelves. Fitting that I finish my work a stones throw away, in a world much changed. The circle of work complete.
As I head into the next phase of my life I will start, by completing the journey I took 40 years ago across the Himalayas. Once more the circle of life resolving. Coming back to the start with new perspective and energy.
The circle of life, magical.
The circle of life, special.
The circle of life, cherished.
The circle of life, embraced.
The circle of life, full of love and gratitude for the kindness of people I find everywhere.