ON RETIRING SOON

I have seen some farewell party for the departing colleagues either getting retired or resigned.  With the length of working and serving the company, valued contribution to the team and established friendship built through the years, it’s just right to toss party for those hard works and effort for the company.  The retiring, being the man of the hour is nothing but the all praised, appreciated, most talked about and most pictured man during the moment.  In the party, the event is recitation of early start with the company, the career highlight, sharing of good stories about the leaving employee, giving of gift as token of appreciation and souvenir, all-ear speech from the retiring employee and pleasing food sharing.  In many instances, it seemed everybody is thrilled for the farewell party.

As this early, I am kind excited thinking my retirement and I am looking forward it the soonest possible.  It is because I already want to rest from these weights and load of works, freed from pressure of deadlines, give up the duties and responsibilities, and cease the obligatory early morning wake-up from bed.  But more than these, I already want to live the retiring age that I sketched in the comfort of my own retiring house – the garden home.  I want to do the thing that I used to love before, that is the childhood interest in planting – it’s going back to old habit.  I want to feel relaxed from greeneries, breathing the fresh air filtered by fruit bearing trees that are home to chirping birds, cultivating the soils, watering and gardening the vegetable, medicinal and ornamental plants.  A garden house with spacious lawn surrounded by plants, so cool even during summer, there’s artesian well and there’s a guarding dog.  Actually if I can leave now, I wish I could retire earlier than I expect.  It is not about the farewell party but it’s about living the new phase of life.

When I retire, though it’s not too soon yet and it’s still many years from now but when I’m up there I would like to retire as simple as I want to be.  While it seemed everybody is thrilled for the party, not me and I would love to prefer nothing. I have nothing against those retiring employees’ farewell party but doing it for me is different story.  I just don’t feel tossing it for me for I always want simplicity and silence. First of all, I don’t like fanfare.  I want to gracefully leave the company as simple as I wish, this is how I define my final exit.  No headline, no grandstanding, no show-off, no food party.  I don’t like popularity, receiving so much attention, mobbed and applauded.  But again, I am reiterating that all these are for mine only.  I have no problem for others to have it where in fact I could grace in the occasion.  It is only when it is for me then I respectfully turn down it – no, thank you.

I understand farewell party is the perfect time of giving importance, maybe giving back for whatever I have positively done, and acknowledging my departure but the attempt to toss party for me is already appreciated. Warm message of good luck wishes through emails, short text messages, and telephone are sufficient.  And giving my farewell message and appreciation collectively in one-time is what my parting words that I will leave.  Yes, a courtesy goodbye to superiors.  Retiring may not preventable but farewell party is a choice and I wish this could be gift given to me.

By Alex V. Villamayor

March 19, 2015