It’s time to go, so pop the bubbly

Apparently, there’s a time for everything.

The Byrds tell us there’s a time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap; a time to kill, a time to heal; a time to laugh, a time to weep. A time to come. A time to go.

Well, my time to go has arrived. Okay, okay, slow down with the popping of the champagne.

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Every column in this space is around 375 words and at this very moment, I still have 284 left, so please read on.

Letting go of a weekly column after so many years is suddenly much harder than I anticipated.

Honestly, I, too, have a bottle of bubbly on ice, the cork already anticipating that moment when the final full stop on my keyboard is hammered down.

But it’s also like signing final divorce papers. For the one wanting the divorce, it’s a moment of sanctioned freedom; for the other party, perhaps wanting to reconcile, it’s a final nail in the coffin.

To be honest, there have been times that I have wanted to get a divorce from this column.

But then you, the readers, have always inspired me to continue, to try again, not to give up.

For most people, there is no stronger motivator than fear. For columnists, there is no motivational force that matches hate mail. And I have received my fair share. For that I thank you.

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That leaves me with 130 words.

As a final farewell, I want to say that although there is a time for everything, the times they are a-changin’.

Sorry, Bob, but what would a columnist be without a few quotes by the famous?

Next Tuesday, a different name and photograph will greet you here. It will be a small change – insignificant in the greater scheme of things.

It is, however, my wish that it will not be the only change. This time next week, we might really have reason to pop the champagne and celebrate big changes.

Imagine celebrating a new beginning, a new leadership and being motivated by opportunity rather than fear, writing messages of encouragement, rather than contempt.

To my successor(s): the audience is tough, but you wouldn’t want it any other way. Break a leg…