"Hey Jen, um, just want to let you know that, uh, next Thursday will be my last day."
Since 2004 I have had four different jobs. I started out as a "sales associate" at Party City during my senior year of high school. I went on to put in two years at an assisted living facility, six months at a Big Apple Bagel, and just over two years at National City Bank (now PNC).
It is surprisingly hard for me to leave my branch. I have complained about my co-workers, some more than others, but I know them. I know their stories, I know how to relate to them, I know how they relate to me. In about a week I will say goodbye to my family of the past two years, and dive head first into the icy waters of a new job. In a new city. With people who already know one another's stories.
I am officially moving to Chicago. I am leaving the safety of my parents' home behind. My sister and her family will no longer be six miles away, but more like 300. I have to leave the paths that I wore down over the last twenty-three years to blaze new ones.
I am excited. Just not right now. Right now I am terrified. I am so unbelievably upset about leaving this all behind. I want to undo all of it. I want to stay where it's safe, where it's warm, where I don't feel loneliness.
I wish I had the luxury of easing in to this move. I want to adjust to my new apartment, my new city, before immersing myself in a new job. I want to bring my branch with my customers (even the angry ones) with me. I would love one constant.