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Jason

Today I am going to talk about my friend Jason.  He was once a boss, then became a friend.  Now we are separated by 2300 miles.

I met Jason in January or February of 2014 when I interviewed him for a role I eventually got in one of the many departments I have worked at in Humana.  My wife knew Jason from one of her work training (he was the trainer) and told me about the opening to which he was and would be my Leader.  She said “you will like Jason” and she was right.

On the day we met, it was my second interview and it was just he and I.  I had heard he was a UK fan, so I wore a blue tie instead of my normal red tie to the interview.  The specifics of the interview are not important, but I certainly enjoyed the experience.  Though he asked me questions and briefly jotted down notes, our time together that day was a conversation, unlike the typical “tell me about a time when” questions I was used to seeing.  I learned later that Jason was different and looking back the interview setting didn’t surprise me at all.

As we worked together for a little over two years our bond grew.  We maintained our Leader/Employee relationship but I tried to get to know him on a more personal level.  We bonded on a few things.  We both liked some of the same sports (soccer and football), but our allegiances were different.  Jason is 110% UK, hates UL and even hates the color red.  Not long after I began working for him I was surprised when a red pen came flying by my head and landed on my desk with a “yuk” murmured by Jason.  He said nothing else.  Jason is a former trainer who loved to color coat his notes in various colors.  He always had colored pens, highlighter and sticky notes at his desk, except for one color.  I was the recipient of those.  It was a joke that I truly enjoyed, and still cannot see anything red today without thinking of Jason.

During our working relationship, I confided in Jason about work problems and sometimes external problems.  He was always there to listen, not judge and offer advice.  After I left that department I was contacted by him and two particular employees I was having issues with he confirmed were truly ‘bad eggs’.  “Tim I am sorry.  I thought the issues you had with XXX and XXX were exaggerated but I know you were telling the truth.  I’m not sure how you dealt with them for so long.”  I think at that moment he began to trust me and our friendship took a deeper hold.

Since I left his area, we saw each other on occasion.  We hiked a few times together, I did a photoshoot for him, we played paintball a few times, and had lunch together.  We ran in different circles, but I could always connect with Jason.  I even was a reference for him in his last two jobs.

In September of this year, Jason left Jeffersonville and headed west to San Francisco for a new job.  I am happy for him and got a chance to visit him the day before he left.  We communicated via text and email on occasion over the past few years but seeing each other became more and more sporadic.  Now that he is 2300 miles away my internal fear is I may never see him again.  A bit morbid maybe, but we live 15 miles from each other and over the past few years I saw him maybe once or twice.  What will 2300 miles do to the visitations?

Like Bob, Jason is chasing a dream, and I am very happy for him.  He left family and friends in this area to do so.  He is excited and scared to start a new life so far away.  New places to discover, new friends to meet, new circles to run in, new experiences.  As I said goodbye to him earlier this month I could see the nervousness in his eyes.  It could partly have been exhaustion, but knowing Jason as I do, much of it was fear.  I get it.  Not sure I could do that on my own.  I will miss Jason, my friend.  I hope I will see him again, only time will tell.

Until next time

Tim

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