"So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye…"

par Toula Foscolos
Article mis en ligne le 26 septembre 2007 à 11:55

Even though I've only worked at Le Magazine for less than six years, in some ways, it feels like I've been here a lifetime. I suppose that's why it's so hard for me to say goodbye.

Starting next week, I'll be assuming my new position as Editor-in-Chief of the West-End Chronicle , an English weekly (still within the Transcontinental family) that covers NDG, Côte-des-Neiges, Côte-St-Luc, Hamstead and Montreal West. It's a great opportunity and it's something I look forward to, but it means having to say goodbye to my beloved Nuns' Island and the people I've been working with for the past six years.

I could get all high-brow and scholarly on you and starting quoting the Bard ("saying goodbye is such sweet sorrow"), but for all the good it will do me, I might as well just quote Ms. Piggy from The Muppets ("Saying goodbye, going away. Seems like goodbye's such a hard thing to say.") Whomever I choose to quote, the gist of my message remains the same: goodbyes suck!

Part of my sadness certainly stems from the fact that I have been extremely happy working here. Nuns' Island is a great place to cover. You, my dear readers, are an opinionated lot, possessors of a great sense of humour, well-informed about the world around you, open-minded and motivated to make a difference; both locally and globally. On my part, there are few professions where you become so attached to people’s lives; part of their dreams, they concerns, their daily joys. Not a week went by that I didn't meet someone who had a fascinating story to share with me and not a day went by that I wasn't reminded of why I love what I do so much.

The best part of my job –hands down—was writing this column every week and the thoughtful and thought-provoking responses I received in return. I couldn't have asked for a better "audience" for my weekly ramblings and rants on pop culture, current affairs, local issues and the occasional navel gazing.

I've been extremely fortunate in being allowed the freedom and the trust to write about what I thought would be of importance and of interest to you, and being fortunate enough to do it in the presence of some of the most talented, hard-working, conscientious and likeable colleagues you'll ever meet – among them, my Editor, Pierre Vigneault, whose quiet assurance and wry humour I will miss immensely.

I leave you with a quote by playwright David Mamet and one of my all-time favourite sentences ever written.

"Keep your wits about you. It is not necessary to barter your talent, your self-esteem and your youth for the chance of pleasing. It is more frightening, but it is not less productive to go your own way. You are not one of the myriad of interchangeable pieces, but a unique human being, and if you've got something to say, say it, and think well of yourself while you are learning to say it better."

I can't think of a more fitting farewell and more appropriate way to tell you to keep on fighting the fight and living your lives with a real sense of purpose; to keep "learning to say it better."

It's been a real pleasure and privilege to write your stories and cover the issues that you cared about the most. You've inspired me, educated me, and ultimately, entrusted me with your hopes, your dreams, your adventures, your gripes and your concerns. I hope that I have done them justice.

My email remains the same, and those who feel so inclined, can continue to read my weekly column at www.westendchronicle.com. So long, friends.

I couldn't have asked for a better "audience" for my weekly ramblings and rants on pop culture, current affairs, local issues and the occasional navel gazing.