Fare thee well

"Farewell," they cried, "Wherever you fare till your eyries receive you at the journey's end!" That is the polite thing to say among eagles.

"May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks," answered Gandalf, who knew the correct reply.

 ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again

Today marks my 7th year and 22nd day in KPMG, and the last. It has been a long journey; both happy and sad, fulfilling and frustrating. I don't quite know how I stayed for so long, so I can't tell you how to do it. (You could try asking those who've stayed even longer.) All I know is that some days you live a day at a time, trusting in God to pull you through, and some days you look ahead, anticipating your long deserved break or side project or "off-peak" (or whatever makes you happy). Whatever pushed me on, that's still 24% of my life so far spent in this one organisation - a sizable chunk of my life. It's the longest I've ever been anywhere, including any particular school.

In Hebrew, seven (shevah) comes from the root “savah”, meaning “to be full or satisfied, have enough of”. The connotation is a sense of completion, the impression of an oath being fulfilled or bond maturing, coming to fruition. It brings with it the idea of sabbath, of rest, as seen in the span of a week. And so maybe my leaving at this juncture has a deeper meaning behind it. I'd like to think so.

See, I had this thing in my head about "seven years" for a long time, and the foreseeable goal was to stay for at least that span of time. This year itself, I had the feeling of urgency, as if there were a need to leave soon, leave now, but I didn't have a clue as to when or where to go. I started researching things to study, places to go... not thinking that I would find a job so soon. But I believe that I have God's favour in this... so I go with faith and with joy, with excitement and anticipation for great new things to come.  

So in the fullness of time, or as all things come to an end, it is also time for me to bid you farewell. The past seven years have been fruitful, both in KPMG and in my personal life. Thank you for walking this journey with me. I have much to remember, much to cherish and much to ruminate on. For now, let me leave you with an old Irish blessing:

May the road rise up to meet you, 

May the wind be always at your back, 

May the sun shine warm upon your face, 

the rains fall soft upon your fields, 

And until we meet again, 

May God hold you in the palm of His hand. 

Fare thee well, whither thou wander… or as Spock would say:

Live long and prosper!