Mar. 07, 2005 ~ Saying good-bye
We didn't stick to the meeting topic tonight; it was more like chatting and visiting back and forth. There were a few hugs from appreciative group members, and one, who had lost 130 pounds and now looks wonderful, was kind enough to give me a sweet card.
Our meetings take place in a church, and when I arrived tonight I slipped into the pastor's office and enlisted his help for a little surprise. As the meeting drew to a close, I excused myself for a moment and stepped into the pastor's hallway, where I'd hidden the surprise. Then I asked my receptionists to come to the front of the room, where I thanked them for all their help, handed each of them a long-stemmed rose -- wrapped in cellophane and tied with ribbon -- and talked about how much they meant to me and to the rest of the group. They deserved the recognition and applause. They teared up. I teared up but didn't cry.
It was hard to leave. I handed the pastor my keys to the church, called my supervisor for the last time, and did the various closing-up duties. I kept thinking of all the "lasts." As in, "This is the LAST time I will stand up in front of this group on a Monday night." "This is the LAST time I will sit here with these coworkers." Last, last, last. Five years is a long time. About a tenth of my life. Every Monday night for the past five years I've gone to the nearby city to lead the group. Have driven home late, in all kinds of weather, and tonight it dawned on me that it was the last time I'd make that drive.
When I first became a group leader, I practiced my speeches on my husband and son, the cats, the horses, even the cows. The cows were especially attentive. They seemed very interested in hearing all about nutrition and weight loss. Tonight, Husband was out of town, and I had to feed the critters after work. The cows were all gathered at the back fence, assembled as if for a meeting, so it seemed only right that I should talk to them a little. Told them they would not be hearing any more pep talks about the importance of sticking with the plan, that there would be no convincing them that they could do anything for fifteen minutes, or that I believed in their power to succeed. The calves seemed a little disappointed. "Oh, okay, fine. I guess I could still, every now and then, come out here and talk to you guys just a little bit. But you have to promise to pay attention." I'm sure they all nodded in agreement. It was hard to tell, by moonlight.
So that's it. Adios. Good-bye to the Group. It was time to go. After all, most people probably don't lecture their cows about weight loss...
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