“The people you work with are just, when you get down to it, your very best friends.”
– Michael Scott, The Office
Dear Work BFF,
When I was in college and daydreamed about the career I was working toward, I’d often think of how excited I was to have a real job. The financial freedom (at least more than dorm food), the satisfaction from a hard days’ work, the opportunity to positively impact my community – it all seemed so thrilling. After ten years in my profession though, I realized I never really thought too much about the friendships I’d make at work. Now I can’t imagine life without my you, my Work BFF.
When we first started working together, I thought you’d be a good coworker. You had great ideas and really seemed passionate about what we do. You were always eager to lend a hand and share a smile and I quickly felt thankful we were able to work together.
But then somewhere along the way, things changed. We laughed a lot (like A LOT)
together, and even shed a few tears on tough days. I started knowing what you were thinking without you saying a word, and you knew my coffee order from Starbucks better than I did myself. We shared the details of our lives, especially how we were surviving motherhood. Our kids became friends, sometimes sharing clothes one outgrew or holding hands at the zoo and melting our hearts. We even had matching baby bumps together, and I’ll never forget when I forgot my pump bottles at home and you washed yours out so I could use them on my next break. I don’t think that’s something normal coworkers do, but Work Besties sure can!
I’m truly so thankful for you, Work BFF. You know my daily struggle of wondering if I’m doing a good enough job at work and also doing a good enough job as a mom. You never let me doubt myself at either and you never judge me when I’m lost in worry about one or the other. You get it. You understand. You lend your advice from your own working mom point of view, and you never tire of listening to me share stories about my babies because you understand that while I’m a professional, I’m a mom first. But at the same time, you motivate me to live up to my potential with my career and cheer me on through successes. You know when I just need to vent and when we need to celebrate accomplishments. I know my job wouldn’t be nearly as fun if it wasn’t for you!
The thing is, I think somewhere along the way things changed again. We may be Work Besties, but I’m now realizing that you’re more than just my Work BFF; you’re genuinely one of my dearest and best friends in life and I’m truly thankful we also just so happen to work together.
