Lamenting the absence of my work friend Stanton

Today was the first day at work without my dear friend Stanton. A week or so ago, he submitted his resignation to accept a great opportunity at a competitor bank. I am very happy for him, but also very sad as my favorite coffee break / lunch break / coke break buddy is now gone.

This is not the first time that a close employee friend has departed. Staying at the same institution for 5 years is nearly unheard of for millennials and generations my age. I find it to have been advantageous in my career in that I've received additional responsibilities with each employee that has left the bank. It makes me feel like I'm doing a good job when I'm the one chosen to inherit clients that were previously assigned to the resignees; however, the void felt when my friends depart often creates more sadness than joy over having advanced professionally.

This sadness comes because I value the relationships of the people I work with more than the actual job itself. When I die, I do not want to be remembered by my career. I certainly want to be a great banker, and strive to do my best on a daily basis, but at the end of the day it's the people that I come in contact with that truly impact my heart and make me feel fulfilled.

I will miss Stan dearly, but I'm hopeful that his absence will encourage me to develop new relationships with people that I have yet to know well. Clearly God has thrown me out of my comfort zone, and it's up to me to make that extra effort to make new work friends. How un-excited I am about doing this, but I guess I gotta start somewhere.

Best of luck to you in your new job, Stan. You will be missed!!