It's Just Shoe Polish
So, I said that I would never do another Red Sage blog….ever. (So much for that.) Here is my last official Red Sage blog.
As most of you know, I have accepted a new opportunity and will be moving on from this Island of Misfit Toys. As I was packing up my things, I came across an old dried out bottle of shoe polish. Why on earth do I have it, you might ask?
This bottle of shoe polish represents the very essence of Red Sage. This bottle was ink that signed away one of the most difficult ties personally for us as a staff. This was the bottle of shoe polish that made a team, a family.
Let me give you a little background. Red Sagers are a unique and quirky little group. We have some very strong personalities. We have some very strong talent as well. We all have our eccentricities. I will keep all of those a secret for now… On second thought, I’m leaving, might as well air the dirty laundry!
Lauren: The newest on our island won our hearts when she brought in a pop-up book illustrating her interview. Being the creative group that we are, we are not always easily entertained, so we were quite excited. Then she promised to illustrate all of us, and we are all so vain we couldn’t miss that chance. So we kept her.
Katie: I believe she might be the quirkiest of all. Only because she is so pure of heart, just a truly good person. It makes me uncomfortable. However, she makes up for it by her dorkiness. Ask her about Dr. Who. I’m just sayin’.
Amanda: She has to be the most organized person I have ever met. It’s downright scary. Even her trash is organized. I know…right? (Weirdo.) However, if you want to keep something a secret, she’s your girl. I dropped her hush money in the mail on my way out.
Heather: She can facilitate a meeting and make the worst news sound like it is no big deal, while I run around like my hair is on fire. People who can remain this calm scare me. I am just waiting on them to snap. Just when I think she is about to lose it on me, she shows up with a bag of my favorite dark chocolate. Bribery… wins me over every time.
Mark: He who laughs loudest, right? He thinks that if he actually has to pay for his chicken wings as opposed to them being gifted to him, that there is a glitch in the matrix and the world might possibly be coming to an end. However, it is only a passing thought, because if the world is in fact coming to an end, the last person to worry about it is Mark. Besides, he would be fashionably late to the end of the world party anyway.
Dragon Lady: Where do I start… First off her hobbies include yard work. (I had the same thought.) She boasts her status as one of the boys, yet also being a trophy wife. (Confusing, I know). Finally, she works on vacation!! (Very un-Red Sager like.) Her quirkiness has set the tone for this Island of Misfit Toys. She created this corporate culture of collaboration: It was her ambition, courage, and bravery that was the genesis of Red Sage. I am proud to call her a mentor and friend.
Dan: Well, he is married to Ellen… ‘nuff said. Dan is our flight attendant: as long as he is calm, we are good. The minute he shakes his head, there might be a mini breakdown with everyone (except Mark, of course).
Finally there is Teresa. Teresa has become one my very best friends. She has a weird obsession with Bon Jovi, and she prefers dogs to most people. I think that this is why we are friends.
You see, this story comes full circle with Teresa. We have all had our personal struggles over the years, but none was more apparent than when Teresa battled cancer. (The C word.)
So what does shoe polish have to do with it?
This bottle of shoe polish was the bottle that we used to write on Teresa’s car to celebrate her last chemotherapy treatment, effectively putting an end to one of the most difficult chapters that we as a staff experienced in the history of Red Sage. This is the bottle of shoe polish that made this team a family, and one I won’t forget.
So here is my swan song…Thank God I am normal and don’t have any of those quirky traits.
Kelli