More from Home Alone

There are some perks that go along with being someone’s employee. For some, it’s a large salary, the yearly bonuses, even interesting work that you love. One of my perks was lunch with The Divas.

Our days started with a round of emails, phone calls, or office visits to see what everyone’s schedule looked like and who wanted to be counted in for lunch. Locations would be hammered out and the meeting time would be selected. Then the work day could begin.

As a consultant and writer, although I am in control of my schedule, I am not always in town. This means that I can’t always do lunch.

The first time I couldn’t attend lunch with The Divas, it was no big deal to me.

Until I found out that lunch went on without me. I was aghast and appalled.

OK, I was really pissed off. I mean, come on, I really thought lunch revolved around me.

My first thought was: I can’t believe those heifers had lunch without me. That was quickly replaced by: What the hell did I expect from those heifers?

So I got over it. But I can’t say I wasn’t a little sad and disappointed that I was missing out.

Japanese bistro trumps peanut butter & jelly (PB&J) any day of the week.

Once you fall out of the lunch loop, you will eventually fall out of the office gossip loop.

It will happen faster than you expect. One minute you are sitting and laughing at the same old drama; six months later, there is so much that has happened since you left that you are totally clueless about it all. But this will be a good thing. It means that you have moved on. Deal with it.

After a year of being on your own, lunch with friends will be less about hearing news from your old workplace  and more about spending quality time with good friends.

Sappy, but true.