After over a year in the making, I gave my two weeks notice to my job today.
It felt like a load was taken off of my shoulders. This is a company that I used to work for during summers in between college and I have been involved with for almost a third of my life. I have worked there full time for the past six and a half years, and my history with the company goes back to over 10 years ago. It is bittersweet, but after a year of keeping the biggest secret of my life, it is time to say goodbye to not only a big chapter in my life, but to many personal and professional relationships I’ve developed over the past decade, as well as goodbye to Midtown Manhattan. Looking ahead, I’m excited to turn the page and see what is in store for me in my upcoming journey and the next chapter of my life.
The thoughts of walking through such a historic and cultured global city like Rome in less than 30 days are starting to come clearer into focus with each item checked off the list. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of getting things done in preparation for our trip, while also kicking back and enjoying the summer with friends and family. We’ve booked our travel insurance, printed out a bunch of passport sized photos for visas and emergencies, purchased some new gear to help us on the road, sold some last minute items on eBay and have situated all of our bank accounts and credit cards. Getting away from the logistics, I’ve gotten to soak in some memorable moments with loved ones such as backyard pool parties, Independence Day, Father’s Day, my father’s 65th birthday, my grandmothers’ 90th and 84th birthdays, found out that my sister is going to have a baby boy in the fall, and tonight is a good friend’s 31st birthday. I’ve had a blast at a few happy hours with colleagues. I’ve had some great times partying with friends both on Long Island and in NYC. And this has all been in just the past month. As they say, time flies when you’re having fun.
The next few days and weeks leading up to July 31st will consist of more “to-do’s” such as finding a place to stay for our time in Sicily, last minute cancellations of U.S. cell phone plans, photocopies of important documents, purchasing some last minute items from Amazon and figuring out how I’m going to fit my life into a roughly 60L pack. I’ll be spending my final weeks dog-sitting for my aunt and uncle, as they take their three sons on a five week summer trip across the USA. There’s just a few weeks left of good times with the people closest to me. There will be the saying of goodbyes for now and the exchanging ways to contact me while on the road. Then after that, I’ll just be worrying about where I’m sleeping the next day and how I’m getting to where I’m going, wherever that might be, whenever that might be. Oh, and where we are going to get our 2nd dose of Hepatitis A Vaccinations while in Europe.
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7/7/2017