A tennis pro's farewell thank you note
Plus, some news on the career front
In my letter to paid subscribers earlier this month, I made a case that everyone should write at least one gratitude letter to a career mentor, even if (especially if) it’s been years since you’ve seen them.
And then a week or so after I sent out that newsletter, I read that another one of my favorite tennis players is retiring—his final match is today, 4pm EST, and he’s partnering with Nadal (pause reading and record this now pls). I happened upon his farewell letter, which is really one long thank you note to his mentors, first off. OMG IS ROGER FEDERER ONE OF MY PAID SUBSCRIBERS? Could he be ilovetennis@gmail???
He also thanks his wife, his fans, Nadal, tennis itself. This is the line that got me: “I have laughed and cried, felt joy and pain, and most of all I have felt incredibly alive.” The whole thing is worth a read.
As I was reading the letter, I pictured him sitting alone on his computer, closing his eyes and remembering when his wife sat in the stands pregnant, when the fans lifted him out of a funk. Remembering those early days when he was a little Swiss ball kid. Feeling deeply what a distinct privilege it all has been. At the end of the day, it wasn’t about the trophies, right? It was about the people lifting him up, and the experiences he was lucky enough to have.
So, as you might know, just as each month of my Thank You Year was dedicated to a topic, so too is this newsletter. And that topic has weirdly seemed to coincide with something happening in my life. In my FRIENDS month, for example, I spent a weekend with my dear friend Grace in Chicago. In my TEACHERS month I finally found and reached out to my fifth grade teacher. Last month was dedicated to TRAVEL, and that’s when we took our family’s first international trip.
So this month, my CAREER month, it’s happening again. (Please don’t @ me with the word manifestation, I simply can’t.) I just started a full-time job, my first since I left my post as travel editor of Food & Wine in 2014. I am working at Caviar, the premium arm of Doordash, helping them build out their content. They’ve been a client of mine for a few months, and the company and the people have been so great that I decided to apply for this job.
I spent much of the summer deep in the hiring process (seven interviews + an intense edit test), and I got the call on our penultimate day in Barcelona, on the roof of the Hoxton hotel. I started last week, and so far, so good! Wish me luck as I settle in.
So many people in my life are in the midst of a career transition; are you one of them? If you’re not, is that something you want? Maybe writing gratitude letters is one way to jumpstart a job search?
(A quick reminder that bears repeating: It is NEVER too late to write a gratitude letter! In fact, the longer you wait, the more it will mean, because you can share the impact of their words and actions over time.)
I’ll end with with gratitude letter, which my friend Billie wrote to one of her mentors in 2019. “Tony passed away in spring 2020,” she wrote to me. “I can't remember if I sent it because he was sick and messages were going around on Facebook about him, or if it was a Time Out anniversary. Probably the former. Either way, I'm glad I did.”
Hi Tony,
This is Billie Cohen from the old days of Time Out New York. I started there as an intern in 1998 when Cyndi was editor-in-chief, and stayed with the company in different roles through 2011. I loved every minute of it.
Funny story:
I was in Mexico City last spring and booked a street art tour with a local resident through Airbnb. At the beginning of the tour, she and I got to chatting about work and life and writing, and it turns out, she was a Time Outer—she had been writing for TO Mexico City for years. We bonded instantly of course, like long-lost family. And you won't be surprised to hear that she gave a great tour. Or that we're still friends on Facebook. Then just last week, in Mongolia of all places, I met another one: a young woman from Boston who is now working as a sustainable-travel consultant. Turns out, she interned at TO Shanghai back when she was in college, and of course we got along great and know several people in common. We're going to hang out when she visits New York in a few months.
I can't tell you how many times this happens to me, still, after all these years. I either meet a Time Outer as I travel, or I cross virtual paths with one through work. They are always smart, curious, plugged in, top-notch in their fields, and have a great fondness for the brand and their time with the company. I know many editors, myself included, whose esteem for a freelancer or job applicant rises significantly if they've worked for a Time Out. We help each other, we admire each other, and we keep in touch with each other, whether it's over regular drinks (as with my TONY crew) or via group chats and occasional visits (as with my Time Out Singapore crew) or via social media (as with so many of the others I've been lucky to meet over the years in Mexico City, in South Africa, in Israel, in Beijing, and more).
I remain in awe of how you managed to collect such an amazing group of people, and how you set such a successful example of hard work, fun, and collaboration that carried across the world. You created more than a network of magazines, you created an international family—and our faces light up when we recognize each other. I've been lucky to be part of it, and I know that I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Thank you for shaping my career and, honestly, a big part of my life. And also for the Hobnob biscuits you always used to bring to the Time Out New York office. They're still one of my favorite cookies. :)
Lots of love and gratitude,
Billie
Thank you, Billie, for sharing, and thank you for reading! Now go watch some tennis, and have a box of tissues handy.
xo
Gina
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