Lasts

It’s really started to hit me in the past few days just how many “lasts” are about to happen. This is my last week of work. And within the course of this week I’ll be making my last perfect bound book. I'll get my last orders from suppliers and talk to friends in other branches. I’ll make my lunch for the last time and I’ll take myself to McDonald’s for breakfast before I get to work for the last time. And then there are the last phone calls with my favourite customers and my last lunch hour spent reading in my spot on the break room couch. I've spent eight and a half years in this office. It's going to be hard to get used to not coming here every day.  

And then there’s all the real life lasts too. I packed my baking stuff on the weekend so my last batch of cookies is long finished and my last cupcakes are decorated. We had our last picnic supper in Glenmore Park and I had my last pedicure with my best friend. I finished off my last invitation job. Thursday is my last band practice and Sunday is my last time in my uniform.

I know that there’s so much good stuff coming in the next year and that all these lasts will be replaced with firsts. And I know I need to remember that most of these things are only temporary lasts. But all through this process it’s been very hard to not focus on what we’ve given up in order to make those good things come true. We both make comments all the time about what we’ll do when we come back and what we’d buy if we weren’t going. I know it will all be worth what we’ve given up but sometimes it’s hard to not let the doubts take over.

This is going to be a tough week.