03 Mar I Quit!
Quitting has a bad reputation. Even when things seem extra crummy or we have lots of reasons for giving up – whether it’s a course we are taking or a relationship that isn’t working or a job we aren’t finding satisfaction in – our society seems to value sticking with things. Persevering through the hard with grit and determination.
But I love quitting.
I quit reading a boring book that everyone else seemed to love. I quit watching a TV show that three friends told me was the best show ever. I’ve quit writing a countless number of blog posts that I wanted to make work but couldn’t get quite right. I quit a tenure-track job in academia because I wanted to spend more time with my girls.
And here’s the big secret: I quit every single day.
Every day, I pull my chair up to my office desk. I line up my favorite pens next to a fresh page in my spiral notebook. I turn my phone ringer and computer on. And I focus and work as hard as I can doing a job I love. And then, I close my computer and put my pens away. And I quit for the day.
I begin something else. I go to the other room where the girls are playing. And we sit at the table and eat a snack together and talk about our days and I forget all of the stuff on that computer and phone and notepad.
To me, quitting is a wonderful and necessary thing. It is the beautiful space between all of the doing that allows me to recharge.
And then I begin again.