MoMo Pulliam has worked at the Y for 26 years. Friday, April 29 is her last day.
Time is a funny thing.
When you hear me say “just the other day,” I could be talking about last week or 7 years ago – there’s no telling. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast 3 days ago, but I can tell you in great detail about how hard I worked to pass my first Lifeguarding class in 1999 (which, btw, feels like it was 10 years ago and not 23).
And, as if we needed another time vortex, the months from March 2020 to sometime around January or February 2021 are just a big black hole in the sequence of life. Certainly, a lot was happening, but my brain just skips over it when counting years or months. Where did that time GO?
Those of you older than me will tell me this is just how it goes as we age. Those of you younger than me may not keep reading past this because it feels like one of those “back in my day” kinds of starts…but humor me, if you would be so kind.
I’ve reflected a lot on TIME this past month, because my time with the Y is coming to an end. After 26 years, this Friday is my last day.
26 years seems like a long time. I first got hired at the Y when I was just 17, so my teenage years, my young adulthood, and through to today have all been spent connected to this organization. When I say that my life has been impacted by the Y, I mean MY WHOLE LIFE – my friendships, my passions, my career pathway, and much of my identity have all been shaped here.
So yeah, 26 years is a long time. But it’s also just a BLIP; it’s a mere moment in the life of the Y. The Y was founded 178 years ago – my time here represents just a small fraction of the Y’s history thus far, and I love this.
I love that my time here is just a tiny piece of the overall puzzle. The Y is so much bigger than me or you or any future Y leaders, too - whether this is just a short stop of employment for you, or years of your life. The Y was here long before us, and it will be here long after we’re gone.
So, as I wrap up a wonderful career here, I thought I’d leave you with an opportunity to reflect on time. Give this as much or as little effort as you desire; my only hope is that it can serve as a valuable PAUSE.
- What have I done this past year/month/week that I’m especially proud of?
- If I could do it over again, what would I do differently in the past year/month/week?
- The words I would use to describe my last year/month/week at the Y are…
- What do I know now that I didn’t know a year/month/week ago?
- Something that I could learn that would really help me in my work is…
- What’s one thing I could do that would contribute to me being my best self?
When I announced I was leaving the Y, it seemed like a month was more than enough time to cross off all of those lingering projects and to say my goodbyes. And here I am, with just 3 days left, wondering where all the time has gone. Thank you for a truly transformative 26 years – it feels like a long time and like “just the other day.”