World’s #1

This is a gift that will be sitting in my display case for a long time. I had my farewell lunch with my colleagues at San Francisco Pizza today. The food was excellent even if the service was a little slow. After lunch, we began taking photos and that was when my two apprentices presented me with a gift – this gift!

This is what it says at the bottom:

World’s Number One Award
You are the world’s real number one. Your knowledge and talent together with your caring and helpful nature really sets you apart. You are truly a champion.
You’re worth your weight in gold!

I guess that all the abuse that they received from me, really made an impact. I am really touched by this gift because it is the first time that anyone has given me something like this in my life. It certainly gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside, to know that I am appreciated.

Our relationship was always one of mentor-apprentice. I enjoyed giving them my regular hour-long lectures. To me, they had the necessary knowledge but they mainly lacked the ability to make the leap from knowledge to application. It was my role to shove them over the precipice.

With my departure, I hope that they will be able to grow and take on their growing responsibilities. If they succeed in performing their duties, it would mean that I have done my part. Now, they will need to learn to swim without a float.

I wish them the best in their careers!