A co-worker stopped by my office today and asked me: “If you could have dinner with two people. One who is no longer with us and one who is, who would it be?
Two months ago, I received a call from my partner at work at around 5:30pm. She called to let me know that she had just found out her father had a heart attack and passed suddenly. The tragic nature of the news was compounded by the fact that her mother is in a nursing home and has been for the past four years following a stroke. I expressed my condolences and let her know that I am here for her if she needs anything.
I had been receiving so much intuition about so many, why did I not see this one coming? If only I could have had a sign that his health was in danger, I would have said something. Perhaps.
Perhaps because I had already started research for The Superman Effect, the first thought I had after getting off the phone with my partner was what the young Clark Kent said to his mother soon after his father died of a similar heart attack:
“All these powers and I could not even save him”.
I did not verbalize this thought to her or to anyone. I don’t presume to have any powers that save. It was curious however that these were my thoughts as yet another alignment between my dream and reality.
The amount of strength that my partner exhibited during these past few months is awe-inspiring. She had to take care of all funeral and burial arrangements while caring for her mother and coordinating an emptying of a home 50 years in the making in Greeley, CO as well as one of her own in Denver. She is an inspiration to me and to all we work with.
Saying goodbye at work will be the hardest thing I have ever done. Those I work with are as much a part of my family as those I come home to. I find myself cheering them on and watching them light up when we interact. I feel like I am in a state of flow at work where everyone supports my decisions. Leaving is no longer about feeling dissatisfied. It's just time to go.
I received a call from a faculty member today with no other question but “how are you doing?” Another faculty member in response to a prospective student’s email wrote:
“Our marketing director and a good friend of mine, who just got his MBA here, would be another really good source. His name is Dennis Rodriguez and his number is..”
I have developed deep and fruitful friendships with so many at the university. I have not been able to take a peek at the future and see how I will say goodbye but I know my work will be done there very soon. The moment I say goodbye will arrive. In the meantime, it’s the moments in between that I am attempting to give breadth to.
My answer to my co-worker’s inquiry about who would I have dinner with was cute and achieved its desired outcome: to make him feel good.
I said to my co-worker (who happened to be Jewish) “If I could only have dinner with two people, one who is no longer with us and one who is, I would choose Jesus and you.” “Great answer!” he says.
It paled in comparison to my partner’s answer when she was asked the question next.
She said “I would choose my Mom and Dad”.
I would pass on my dinner plans if she could only keep hers.
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