Today was the day- my 13 year career at the Big Company has come to an end.

And you know what? Today I feel relieved.

For the past month, this is all I could think and talk about. At work, at home, with friends and with family- it was The Topic of Conversation. And I was dreading today. I was dreading handing over a project I care very much about to people I didn’t know. I was dreading saying goodbye to coworkers who’ve become friends. I was (and still am, to be honest) dreading life without my reliable paycheck.  I was dreading a huge stretch of down time, wondering what I was going to do with myself. But by today, I was just ready to end this chapter and move on.

My manager drove 7 hours up from VA to take me to lunch today- which is about as classy as you can get and I’m touched by her kindness. I was worried it was going to be awkward, but it wasn’t. We had a good meal, some good laughs and a few tears.  I don’t hold her responsible for this- I know how things work as I’ve had to be that manager in the past.  When our meal was over, I handed her my computer and my ID and that was that.  Done. Finished. Over.

To mark the occasion, I took the kids out to a fundraiser at a local Frozen Yogurt place, grabbed a pizza and watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabain with my family.  I got an email this afternoon offering me a part time job doing something I think I’m going to enjoy very, very much.  Between that and a few freelance gigs I’m hoping to get, I’m going to be just fine.  I’m starting to see this as the kick out of my comfort zone that I may have needed for a long time.

So here’s to the adventure in store, the financial uncertainty that will keep me up at night and the endless applications that’ll cause me to pull my hair out- all of which, I’m sure, will take me exactly where I’m supposed to be.