tinysharks

In my office taped to the wall beside my desk is a small white piece of paper
On the paper is taped a dark green chip of paint
Paint I took off of the grille guard of the van I used to drive
Paint that used to belong to a brand new Bentley that I got into an accident with while working
Below it is a date
The date of the accident: 9/22/00
I had to save it
Had to write it down
It's not everyday that you can cause $250,000.00 worth of damage in less than 5 seconds and then have the police just let you go
I noticed it on Friday
Sure it's been there since I got a desk of my own 5 plus years ago
But it made me realize that not only that I've had this job for over 6 years but also how much has changed and, at the same time, how much stays the same
How many people have come in and out of my life since then
Some I remember
Most I've forgotten
But then there are those that are still around
Around after the arguments
The misunderstandings
Forgiven missteps
Countless apologies
Those people who are around not because we've known each other for 5, 10, or 20 years
But because they're actually important to me

So those that have come and gone in that time
And those that have stuck around
I thank you

And, yes
All this from a chip of paint
And, no
I didn't eat the paint chip