When You Quit Your Job

When you quit your job,

For the opportunity you've spent years searching for,

Freedom settles in slowly.

Their burden is no longer yours to carry

And the long, familiar drive

To a place that took more than it gave

Finally has an end date.

When you quit your job,

And you get to tell everyone that you're leaving,

You're met with congratulations, affection, and sadness

And you realize that leaving a place feels different

Than leaving the people in it.

The faces you see daily will become

Names you rarely hear.

When you quit your job,

The time you've given it means very little.

They replace you within days.

Whether they scramble to cover the absence,

Or welcome the change with open arms,

The workplace keeps running.

There's always someone else.

When you quit your job,

They tell you that you're going to be jam packed

With tightening up unfinished business.

But your final stretch is empty.

Your responsibilities dwindle.

The minutes drag and you find yourself

Ready for your final goodbyes early.

When you quit your job,

You gather what belongs to you

And leave behind what belongs to them.

You organize the files, clear the desk,

Tie up the loose ends.

Then, almost without noticing,

You stop appearing on the email chains.

The conversations about tomorrow continue without you,

And your voice no longer has a place in them.

You have already imagined your life beyond these walls,

But your body must remain

Until the calendar says you can leave.

When you quit your job,

The last day seems to drag with every passing hour.

Until, at last, it arrives.

You gather your things, cross the finish line,

And step out of the building for one last time.

For once, there is nothing waiting for you inside.

No task to finish. No reason to return.

Only the world beyond those doors,

And the quiet relief of knowing

You are finally free.

A breath of fresh air.