I think it’s human nature to build up seemingly difficult conversations into potential shitnados. The more I thought about the seemingly tough conversations I needed to have the more I tried to plan for every scenario. In the end I decided to rip the bandaid off. We were just winding up two days of full company followed by management annual meetings. (that sentence was tough, sorry. One day all staff - start of a fiscal year meeting followed by a one day all management meeting.) The first day was all about change management and the second was kind of a meeting about meetings. None of it left me feeling energized and I knew that the next day would be my annual review so unless I wanted to suffer a really fake review where we talked about the upcoming year I needed to get the resignation over with.
Once the meeting officially ended I grabbed the CEO and asked if he had a minute. Everyone was still milling around the room but I sat down at his table and we were relatively secluded. I laid out my intentions to seek employment elsewhere and relocate back to the Chicago area and it turned out to be an uneventful conversation. After 12 years it was kind of anticlimactic but I guess that’s better than some of the alternatives that my brain cooked up.
I have some issues with the way things are run but burning bridges doesn’t help. It might feel good in the moment but ultimately it solves or improves nothing. I had a mentor recently remind me that going out in a blaze of glory “fuels your enemies and hurts your friends.” Meaning that the people who don’t like you can use your behavior to justify their opinions and your friends are looked at suspiciously as if they completely share in all of your beliefs. Nobody wins. In the end, I came to this job looking for a change and that’s exactly how I’m leaving.
And now I am kind of waiting to see what everyone wants to do whilst I work out my almost two month notice. My announced last day will be on my birthday which just so happens to be the last day of the year. With all of the holidays and the tax pain in the ass of having two jobs it just felt right. To keep my sanity I am trying to walk as much as possible before the weather forces me inside. The walks really help clear my head but nothing can brighten your day quite like a giant street legal wiener.
This majestic beauty was parked outside of the grocery store I walk to on my route.
One of my regular street people was admiring it at the same time I was but when I asked if I could take his picture with it I got a ten minute lecture about the government tracking our whereabouts at all times. I badly wanted to ask why in the hell they would care what he does all day but it wasn’t as bad as I wanted his talking to end. Once he finished I went about my day. I did make a mental note to find him this weekend and get his thoughts on the aliens. I do so love something to look forward to.
Side note/question: How high was the person who designed a driving hotdog?