It’s been a long and emotional week. Today was the longest day of all. It was the last day for me in my office, and I spent the entire day tearing apart years of hard work and effort. I’ve been in that particular space for five years. I had other offices for four years previous to that. This one was a beautiful and trendy space. I was so excited to move into it. I designed the entire thing in Corel Draw, and worked with builders to make an open-concept space with 26 foot ceilings, industrial ductwork, ceiling fans, half-walls, glass panels, and custom-made solid pine furniture. It was expensive, but at the time it was my dream space and I wasn’t afraid to pay for it. Looking back on my years in that space, the expression “blood, sweat and tears” springs to mind. It’s a cliché, but it applies perfectly.

It was a painful road at times. I got beat up in business enough times to learn that trust and honor are rare commodities. But when you find them, you nurture the relationships that provide them. That’s why I’m so confident that I can move on from this phase in my career. My relationships with my clientele and my suppliers are rock solid. Every single one of them has expressed enthusiasm and support for my decision to change my business model. So, while I was struck by moments of nostalgia today, and maybe a little sadness, I was definitely glad to lock that door for the last time and move on.

It’s been a long time since I haven’t had a place to go to work. I mean, except for a short stint of working at home to plan the beginnings of The Mouse Academy, I’ve always had a seperate place in which to conduct business. I’ve always felt a sense of pride in my workplace. It was always my sole responsibility to keep it staffed, lit, heated, cooled, decorated, furnished, insured, hooked up to phones, and of course the Internet. It was also my responsibility to drive people through the doors and through the cash register to pay for it all. Relieving myself of many of these responsibilities feels good.

I must say that I have the best friends in the world. Not only did they help me move, but they helped me move twice in the last four months. I couldn’t have done it without them. Several shifts of people came in to help throughout my day. Dennis, Matt, Nick, Bjorn and Mike contributed muscle, brains and trucks to the effort. Thank you Hesi for providing moral support, despite having your own numerous battles to fight.

There’s lots more to be done. Everything that I couldn’t sell or donate has been dropped into my living room, kitchen, and storage room. Tomorrow’s project is to get everything into its place, so I can hit the ground running on Monday morning.

p.s. Happy Birthday Hesi! :dance: :boogie: