PSA: If you haven’t read the About page yet, I recommend you start there.
Two weeks ago, I quit my job. Or, rather, I gave my 2 weeks’ notice that I would be quitting. I’m in my final days now and it’s…weird. Awkward. I described it to a friend that it has a dead-man-walking quality to it – kind of like “what’s the point?”
The nice thing about these final days is that I’m not attached to any of the decisions being made around me, to any of the outcomes. I hear the challenges and frustrations of my colleagues and am grateful that they are no longer my challenges and frustrations. Each day in the office seems to bring with it fresh validations that I made the right decision – that my season here has simply come to it’s natural end and the time has come for me to move on to my next challenge.
There’s a spiritual philosophy out there – Buddhist, I think – that says everyone we meet is our teacher, a Buddha in disguise here to school us in patience / compassion / generosity / you-name-it. I love that idea because it encourages us to question our own beliefs, assumptions, and world views – the self-reflection that nourishes our own growth and continuous improvement. I also love it because it encourages an attitude of gratitude – it’s easy to be grateful to an educator who expands your knowledge and skills.
As my time in this place winds down, I am so grateful for my experience and for the many teachers I met along my way. I endured many lessons in patience, empathy, and speaking the truth with kindness here; in accepting those things that were not in my power to change; in changing the things I could. My decision to move on at this juncture represents a graduation of sorts – I’m not done learning these lessons yet, but I have learned all I can from this experience. It’s time to graduate to the next level of my education.
TL;DR: Last days at job you’ve resigned are awkward. Bring on the future.
