Saying goodbye to athenahealth

Last week I wrapped up my time at athenahealth. I've been planning to leave since February, and started telling people back then, so it wasn't a surprise. Still, the actuality of it crept up on me. I am not sure how I lucked into such a wonderful place to work. Certainly I never went looking for a tech company, never mind a healthcare tech company. But luck into it I did, and I wouldn't trade those years for anything.

I wrote a farewell post to our company blog last week, and several people encouraged me to publish it externally, so I did that too, at this link.

My "farewell tour," as a friend called it, lasted for more than a week. It started last Tuesday, with a party that the company threw for me. I was a little leery of the prospect at first. Being an emotional guy, I was worried about holding it together through a ton of concentrated goodbyes. But as it happened, it was wonderful. I got to say farewell to people who I never would have chanced to cross paths with this month otherwise, and even got to meet a few new people, who kindly came by to tell me I'd meant something to their careers. Mostly, I got to take selfies with a lot of people.

People wrote some really nice things on these big pieces of paper. Added to the incredibly kind pile of emails I've received, I've been feeling the athena love like nobody's business.

That was pretty cool, and very nice, and it that had been all of it, I would have left feeling really appreciated.

But then the next day, my original team--legal--really upped the ante.

For the duration of my time at athena, La Casa de Pedro, a Venezuelan restaurant and bar on campus, has been the site of all of the best goodbye parties. Unfortunately, about four months ago Pedro's closed abruptly, the victim of an ill-advised foray into multiple locations that didn't pan out. It has sat vacant, doors barred, ever since.

On Wednesday, one of my team asked if we could take a walk. As we passed Pedro's she said, "I just want to look in the windows." She walked over to the glass doors and, as I took a selfie with the Pedro's sign, she exclaimed, "It's unlocked!" and walked inside.

Nobody has ever successfully caught me with a surprise party. Boy did this group ever get me. Somehow, they finagled permission to use Pedro's for one more goodbye--mine. Kind words were said, tears shed, and beers consumed. I even danced on the bar (a very little bit).

The entire team made it, to a one. I'm incredibly lucky to have worked with such a fun, kind group of people. Every single one of them is like family.

 

...All of which made it both harder and, in a way, immeasurably easier to turn in my badge and walk out the door 

More "farewell tour" photos are at this link.