How When to Fold ‘Em

I can’t say for sure when it began, this feeling that it’s time to move on. I first noticed it earlier this summer at Horry Georgetown Technical College, Conway campus. I had gone there for a book signing, and since I had a few minutes before the signing was scheduled to officially begin, I went for a stroll through one of the buildings where I used spend a lot of time. My office(s) were always in that building, and for a couple of decades, that’s where most of my classes were held too.

That summer afternoon I located the office of an old friend, and as I approached the door, I saw that it was shut, and I could hear a conference call taking place on the other side. Disappointed that I wouldn’t get to chat with my former colleague, I turned away and began walking towards the hallway. That’s when I saw a young woman of about 30 looking at me.

“Ma’am, can I help you find something?”she asked.

“No thanks,” I told her. “I’m not lost.”

I realized with a little twinge that I had been working at the college before that child was even born and that I had stood in that spot on plenty of yesterdays. In fact, the doorway where she stood was outside of the office where I been interviewed by Tom Reid, the man who hired me to teach four sections of English. He got promoted and moved to a bigger, nicer office with a window view. I knew several other people who later occupied that space, including a friend of mine who held the position of dean of students on an interim basic. Sure glad walls can’t talk! They’ve have some stories to tell.

Then I went for a stroll down the main hall of the 200 building and I saw every classroom filled with high school students who are part of an early college entry program. I passed the lecture room and remembered that we used to have faculty meetings there. It’s ludicrous to think about such a thing today. There are so many employees and so many departments and so many campuses!

Gee Whiz. So many changes. Back in the day, none of us dreamed that Automotive Technology would fall by the wayside and that Nursing, Dental Hygiene, and Culinary Arts would become popular programs. There are even online faculty who never set foot on campus. Twenty years ago, I wouldn’t have known what online meant. Something straight and to the point?

On my way back to where the book signing was to take place, I couldn’t resist walking down a narrow hallway where I once had an office. There was a young woman working there who looked up as I passed by. How many hours had I spent on that very hallway and how many people had I glanced up at with that same look of, “I hope you aren’t going to interrupt me” on my face? Where were my former buddies, my hall mates?

Back at the bookstore for the EVENT, I mentioned to one of the employees that the bookstore used to be the library. She was a polite young woman who said, “Oh really?” I knew she was just being mannerly and that she didn’t care one iota about the many changes that had taken place at the college. But me? Well, I could feel the ghosts of students and employees of yesterday all around me. Where was BB these days?

I didn’t sell many books that day, but I did get to talk with several former colleagues and meet some new people. But best of all, the events of the afternoon awakened some unconscious thoughts lurking just beneath the surface. That afternoon signals the beginning of my humming some lines from Kenny Rogers’ song, “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em….”

What about you, Dear Reader? Have you ever had feelings or inner “promptings” telling you when it was time to move on to another chapter in your life?