Let's Do Lunch #1

"Let’s do lunch" began in earnest yesterday as I started counting down to May 3, my retirement date. It was a small group of 4 people I’ve come to love and respect over the past couple of years as we tackled big problems together and were successful.

We actually got off to a rocky start initially in our working relationship because they knew so little and demanded so much of my time and support. But they came with an attitude of wanting to learn and respect for me, the only ingredients I demanded. They have a boss who is seldom around and gives them about as much support as my boss gives me. Perhaps that’s what we really have in common.

As for lunch – Originally I had thought we would be outside at a picnic table, so I brought in the blue striped tablecloth. But yesterday we were still in the spring deep-freeze, so a room inside seemed a better idea.

At 11:45 I filled the faux-silver bowl with mixed salad greens, sweet grape tomatoes, chopped walnuts, croutons, and lots of grilled marinated chicken strips. We headed upstairs to a secluded room where we could gossip to our hearts’ content.

The others brought great additions to the group salad: sliced hard-boiled eggs, crab sticks, and feta cheese. I dressed it with Annie’s Raspberry Vinaigrette. Then we tossed it all together and served it up. One of them provided a cheese ball and crackers, always good comfort foods.

The salad filled our growling stomachs as we launched into discussions ranging from office gossip to who might take my job to issues of joint custody. This is not a shy bunch. They are actually about as fed up as I am with the current state of things and every one of them has thoughts of bailing out.

No lunch would be complete without something sweet. The guy in the bunch contributed homemade chocolate chip cookies and there was a choice of Hershey’s chocolate.

By 1:00 we headed back downstairs with a mostly empty salad bowl and a feeling of closeness and closure.

This was exactly the sort of experience I intended when I came up with the idea of saying goodbye over salad.