The Note I Wrote to My Team

Hello Links,

Yes, I wrote an oddly long email…what a fantastic treat! Yes, I do have news of which to share of a personal nature.

Spoiler alert: In January I left my husband, Bob, and we are divorcing. It’s super-not fun and I have been less of myself here at DaVita and I apologize.

Please continue on for humor, general thoughts, non-dirty details, learning points and an oddly optimistic finish if you have the care or time.

Per-Pro Overlap
In a lot of our development courses we talk about that overlap of personal and professional - and while I am open about a lot of things, I do my best to compartmentalize brutal things and keep them out of the work environment.

However, it’s not particularly fair to do this when these personal things clearly effect my professional life and people I actually care about and I don’t say anything.

So, it has been a long and complicated 2017 for my personal life.

A Note to This Team
So, first, I am sorry if I have been absent physically or mentally. Or if I seemed short or distant especially in these last few months. This split is why.

Or maybe someone made me use a ballpoint pen or, let’s be honest.

I will also probably be somewhat distracted until this situation is resolved – but I am doing my best, I promise you all, to get healthy and remain focused. If you could all be patient with me and give me the benefit of the doubt if I am “off.”

Feel free to call me out on it so I can also adjust.

A Note About Good People
If that bummed you out - here is what I do know.

There is still so much good in people and good in the world even if it requires being oddly vulnerable and challenging pain and silence with compassion and a voice.

The absolutely worst events of my situation came to a point in December. I felt underwater and like some desperate failure trying to hold it together because I didn’t know how to live with my own story. I finally admitted it to a collection of rather random acquaintances exactly what was going on. They all suddenly stepped up, to offer their own stories, to help me move, to make me laugh, and to offer reassurance and recommendations.

They continue to protect and follow-up with me to this day from across the country.

And this simple mark of being human blew me away.

People will restore your faith in humanity if you let them and can bring absolute light to total darkness.

Wrap It Up
So, my Links, this is the second worst thing in my life I have had to live through. I would be crazy to say it's not going to bleed into my professional life.

And I have a lot of good jokes about it from benign to super-dark. Like, so much material.

Please let me know what you need from me and know I will do the best I can.