What I'll Miss Most

In two weeks, I shall join the ranks of the entrepreneurial self-employed, and I am thrilled at the prospect of what awaits me in the "outside" world.

I've been with Good Housekeeping forever it seems: first writing features and cover stories before becoming home and family editor, and eventually, editor in chief. It was a privilege to reach out to all these women who were experiencing the same joys and pains as I was. But after four and something years, I said to myself, it's time to move on. It's time to challenge my comfort zone, like we always tell our readers. It's time to be fearless and fly free!

And so, two weeks from deadline, I am thinking of all the things that I'll miss in Summit.

I will miss building and rebuilding words and paragraphs to make them sing. I will miss the thrill of working on a cover, going through every line and every color. I will miss my staff; working, learning, eating, and laughing with them.

I will miss long talks with B, hugs from M, chika time with M, okray-fests with R, baby chats with F, duets with Z, catchup time with A, "breakup" time with E, and Chabi and choco crunchies with M and I at our old office.

I will miss Thursday karaoke nights, impromptu beer nights, "cake and chika," the playlists of B-Side, Perdido Street Station, Allan H's Library, Rock Like You Mean It (I don't know who you guys are, well, except for A, but thank you for keeping me sane), merienda at Munchbox, and the view from my cubicle, especially at night.

But what I'll miss most is the noise.

Writing, editing: these are solitary occupations and sometimes, you need jolts of distraction to pull you from out of your screen and into the real world. I will miss the sudden bursts of laughter, the clickity-clack of four-inch heels, the guys playing the newest video game, and the crackling noise of somebody opening a pack of chips and trying hard to hide it. Sometimes, I get annoyed when somebody suddenly breaks the silence of my thoughts. But really, I welcome the entertainment.

There are many things that I will miss but one thing I won't miss is GH because it will always be in my heart.