This is the story of how I told my company I was leaving after 10 years. I wrote it right after it happened and didn’t publish it right away, but thought you might want to know how it went down.
Well, I didn’t really mean to tell my boss yet that I was quitting to move back to my hometown, but it happened.
I had just finished a conversation with my friend and coworker about how give-a-shits were kind of low but I could just coast along because no one was saying anything when our director called me into his office. At first I thought we were just having that meeting we were supposed to have, but when he headed to his office and closed the door I knew something was up.
He opened with, “You seem disengaged.”
I was quiet for a minute and then said, “Yeah.”
The conversation did not go the way he thought it was going to go.
I’m direct. I couldn’t just lie to his face when he asked me about it. The second sentence out of my mouth was,
“I’m going to be quitting and moving to Michigan.”
It was not pretty. I cried when I said it.
Suddenly quitting my job was real.
We made the decision just like that, but it still seemed like an idea. I mean, in our heads we were like already there. We were picturing ourselves living in those houses we saw on realtor.com. But really we were still doing the same things we did every other day.
Then all of the sudden, I was really quitting my job.
I couldn’t take it back after I told him.
I had to call my husband afterward and I was crying so hard at first that he almost freaked out because he didn’t know what was wrong. I calmed down enough to talk to him but I was overwhelmed because I didn’t expect to do it yet.
That was yesterday.
I was asked to talk to my boss today (Friday). It took me most of the day, but finally I went and had the conversation with her.
It was easier than the conversation yesterday because I was prepared for it. It was also harder in that she was practically crying about it, which of course made me teary and emotional, but we both made it through.
I texted my mom yesterday and told her that I had told our director. She said, “Bring it on!”
That at least made me smile.
I know she’s cheering for me.
Well, my whole family really. My sister is just cheering with tears in her eyes maybe, but then again, me too.
Leave a Reply