Chapters Event

Early in my working life, I worked at Chapters.  To date, I continue to attribute it as my favourite job.  Recently, that location was shut down.  For over a month before that, there had been a closing sale, which all those customers who had not been supporting it over the last few years attended.  It is funny how this speaks to the style of consumption so prevalent around here: if there is a sale, you save money by spending as much as you can, even if you would never have bought said item otherwise.  It sickens me how people treat sales, but I digress.

On the first day the store was closed, an event took place for all former employees.  Of course I attended, as this albeit short period of my life had such a significant impact on who I was then, as well as who I have and continue to grow(n) to be.  The whole day was in every way fantastic; between the event and the after-party, I must have spent eight hours reminiscing and catching up with these amazing people, who I hope I will not allow to remain in my past.  A nostalgic day, to say the least, while also being a day that showcased how we have all grown in the best ways we all could have.

What makes me want to write of this experience is to express how glad I am to have that one work experience in life, which includes people who, not unlike family, you can never feel out of touch with.  We worked well together because we got on well together and being together again only felt the imprint of time, due to the possibility for discussing how we are the same and different from when we worked together.  How many work experiences turn out in such a way?  For myself, not many.  In fact, of all the colleagues with whom I regularly interact, only one former colleague outside of Chapters is one I met at work; the rest I knew before working with them.  Is my experience uncommon?  Do most maintain regular contact with former colleagues from each of their employments?  I know I always want to, I have met some amazing people at my previous jobs, but how large can a network be?  Then again, when it comes to careers, the bigger the better, right?

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