I promised I would write.
Friday was my last day at work after nearly a decade of continuous employment, aside from a few weeks of break between jobs, of course. For the third consecutive weekday, I have woken up with both the exciting and terrifying feeling of freedom and possibility. I know—a privilege and a curse, right? Fortunately for me, this change did not come abruptly or without notice. I wasn’t fired, laid off, or faced with world events like a global pandemic that derailed my professional trajectory. Quite the opposite actually—I chose this willingly, strategically, and proactively.
You see, I am on the cusp of turning 40. To be clear, aging does not scare me, and yes, I am excited for each new decade. As much as I’d like to blame my seemingly abrupt resignation on a mid-life crisis—it’s just me being who I am and recognizing when things in my life are no longer in alignment. Bolstered by a vast professional network and a diverse working history, experience both building and replenishing a financial safety net, and having recently married an amazing partner who cheers me on and provides me access to affordable health insurance, I quit my job. By choice. Willing. Strategically. Proactively. So, here I am today on morning three of a new phase of life.
I’ve been told by some they are both envious and excited for me, while others think it vastly irresponsible, especially when the word “recession” keeps rearing its ugly head. But, you see, like all of my siblings, I started work at age 15 (if you don’t count babysitting that is) and financial independence was expected of us upon graduating high school. While I don’t think many would proactively throw out their financial safety net in its entirety at age 18—nor would I recommend it as a tactic for bolstering a young adult’s independence—we became the sole funders of our housing, living, educational, recreational, child-rearing, medical, emergency, etc. expenses. We figured it out because we had to. As a result, financial insecurity and navigating how to both survive and thrive as a self-sufficient adult is nothing new for me. I’ve been doing it since legal adulthood.
Fast forward some 20 years, and here I am today, having my tea, blissfully and bizarrely unemployed, and deciding what I want my day, week, and month(s) to entail—or not entail for that matter. Unlike other situations in my life which necessitated absence from paid work for a short term—graduation, returning from a position abroad, going back to school, etc.— I don’t actually have a concrete deadline for “going back to work.” In fact, I don’t actually have what some would consider a legitimate reason for leaving in the first place. Before COVID, it was still perceived as wholly irresponsible to leave a good job with benefits, even if you had the opportunity and privilege to do so. We Americans are slowly learning that perhaps the way we work and live is not the ideal situation for ensuring positive physical, mental, and emotional health, nor short or long-term happiness.
So, despite all of this uncertainty by design, one thing that I enjoy and promised to do was write. It’s mostly for me but I always hope it benefits others in one way or another. If nothing else, I have continued to hear my graduate school professor’s voice echo through my head for the last decade, “So, how are you going to keep writing after you graduate?” after reading my 200+ page final portfolio in its entirety. So, yes, Jennifer, I didn’t forget or ignore that nudge for which I am forever grateful. And yes, Kathy and Susan, I’m using my DYL skills and bias to action to start something, even despite the perfectionist in me wanting to have it all figured out first. Finally, thank you to Cheryl for an amazing introduction to professional coaching which further inspired me to take this leap. So, here I am, writing, just as I promised, and I guess we all see where this new adventure leads.
