It’s the end of Laughter. Well, my series on it at least.
The Best
Recently an online acquaintance of mine, Deana Silk, moved 100 miles away to Oklahoma City from Tulsa. She is friends with a number of my friends, so her departure was well documented in social media with photos of going away parties and lunches that I saw in my various feeds. She has also been a well-known local newscaster here in Tulsa for 10+ years so there were on-air remembrances of her time at the station where she worked as well.
There were tears in the pictures and tears on the set. But what was more in abundance than the tears were the smiles and laughs. I mean BIG SMILES AND BIG LAUGHS. Not only does Deana have a great smile and laugh but everyone around her did as well. I didn’t need to be at the parties to see how much fun they all had together. And the on-air remembrances, while mentioning her professional capabilities (which are substantial), were more focused on the fun they all had together on the set and on location.
The Good and the Bad
Watching that move from afar made me think how much happier someone is when they depart with smiles and laughs than when they don’t. I moved across the country with my family in 1994 and the departure from San Jose, California was filled with happy laughs and great remembrances. But I also have been in a job where I had to be walked out the door (as is common in corporate offices) on the day I was let go. There was no joyous laughter, just a lonely walk out the door, cut off from a proper ending. That sucks when that happens and I have seen it happen way too many times.
The Worst
But there is an even worse scenario, and that is when you are leaving and no one cares, perhaps because there were very few smiles or laughs. That would suck even more. How do you avoid something like that? Well, the key is in Deana’s on-air remembrances. Her time on the job was filled with that joy and laughter. She engaged and had fun with her co-workers all through the years, even as she met her professional responsibilities. In other words, it was an accumulation of love, not just a moment of it.
The Best Again
Just for fun, here is a clip of the going away party for the CEO of Net-A-Porter. Take a look and think how much he was loved and how much laughter and joy had to been given and received over the years. Oh, and be glad you aren’t the man or woman who follows in his footsteps!
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman
Quote by Oscar Wilde
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