The first 4 days are the hardest

It took 4 days of retirement before I came back to Google as a guest for lunch, but it's not as bad as it sounds (unless you don't think that sounds bad in which case please skip to the next blog entry). My old team was hosting a conference and there were staff from the team from New York that I had not seen in person to say farewell since my announcement. So it was a chance to connect face to face as it may be the last time I see some of them. And well, there was also a team dinner that I got invited to after the conference, and that was special social event so I felt an obligation to participate. And I have additional Google lunches scheduled this week and next with people I haven't seen in awhile. Ok, after 10+ years at Google I might be a free food junkie. You just don't quit cold turkey. Mmmmmmm, turrrrrkeeeeey.

While I was back in the office I did take time to walk around as much as possible which led me to run into folks I hadn't had the opportunity to talk to directly in the last few weeks at work. So I had numerous serendipitous last chance farewells that extended the astounding amount of good will I'd been experiencing in my final days. Plus I got to cruise the pods on my floor dropping in on well established appreciative audiences for one last shot of ego juice as I entertained the troops. Nothing makes leaving more palatable than leaving 'em with a smile on their faces. It's probably at the top of my list of things I will miss most.