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When I told my immediate boss Mike I was leaving. He was caught off guard for a brief second.

“I think I am supposed to ask what it’d take to make you stay.” He asked with a faint smile.

“Not this time, Mike. I am really going.”

Pause.

“I am happy for you. You know I am going to miss you, don’t you?”

“I am going to miss you too!’

Mike and I have known each other for 17 years. The last few years have been rough for him. He’s got a new manager almost every year. The current one (I referred to as ‘my new boss’ in the previous posts) really gets on to his nerves and sometimes mine too. Through all the confusion and conflictions, my friendship with Mike remains intact, which is something I am very proud of.

Last Wednesday Mike finally said that I could tell people about my departure. I got a few hugs. One said I wasn’t allowed to smile so much. Another commented that now she knew why Mike had been walking around like he had lost his best friend. Others told me they were proud of me for making this brave move. They also offered various reasons why they had to stay where they were.

Now my days are filled with meetings with different businesses to review my projects and updates, lunch with friends, and long training sessions with my teammates who will take over my responsibilities. Yesterday when I was showing the three guys on my team how to use the forecast tool, a colleague went by and burst into laughter, “It takes three of you to do what Linda used to do? You all look so worried.”

“Now you know how valuable I am!” I chuckled.

Because of year over year downward financial performance trend, the work environment has turned contentious and competitive. Now that I resigned, people somehow find it easier to tell me how much they’ve valued my contribution and how great I’ve been to them. I wish collaboration, appreciation and basic courtesy will become the accepted practice in the corporate world instead of finger pointing, game playing and only pursuing self-serving interests and goals. Politicians especially need to have a mindset transformation in order to put the country back on track and end this ridiculous government shutdown, the consequence of which goes far beyond the Capital building.

Another whirlwind week of wrapping up things at work as well as packing up for the trip to China. It’s impossible to transition years of work and knowledge in one week. I don’t want to leave a mess behind and therefore asked my future boss if I could delay reporting to work by one week. He was very understanding and supportive. His suggestion was for me to start on 10/21 as planned so that I could get my laptop and set up in the system. Then if necessary, I could go back to my old job for another week to help them out. I like my new boss already although we haven’t met in person yet!

I am trying to look beyond the chaos of a life in transition to a brand new chapter that will bring new challenges, fulfillment and dreams. But honestly right now, I am just exhausted.