An occasional series based on stuff that hangs in my room… or my heart.
For most of my thirties, I worked at a magazine with less than ideal leadership, but a terrific group of other line editors, reporters, and designers. A lot of things bound us together–age, politics, backgrounds, a mutual distrust of management. Anyway, for a couple years in particular, it was a truly happy place, in 
the most marvelous sense of the word. Wanted to go to lunch? Someone was always available. Wanted to start a book club? Someone was always available. Wanted to start a new diet, a new exercise regimen, a home improvement project? You could always find someone within the clan who was up for it… and if you couldn’t, typically a coworker had a spouse, friend, or sibling who was. On two occasions, we even got together groups of twenty or so women to go camping, including some who had never undertaken such an outing before in their lives.
Amid all this fun and joy (and some mutual grousing about the leadership), I remember one woman in particular. Often, she would stay back from the group a bit and say, “Treasure this. Not every job is going to be like this place. This place isn’t going to always be like this. Treasure it.”
She was right, of course. Within a couple years later, people started leaving, for better jobs elsewhere, to have children, to pursue impossible dreams. Management changed. A few people like me left because we got fired. But the place wasn’t the same by then anyway.
I remember my friend’s wise words when I look at this sign when I get up each morning. “Cherish every moment” is one that resonates deeply with me, and that I attempt to live by. Thanks, Julianne.
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