Going through the emotions

Previously: Brett has decided to resign from his job in Abu Dhabi and return to Australia …

“How do you feel?” I heard that in the office on my last day at work last week, and I heard it again at drinks with friends afterwards.

It’s an interesting question. When I first resigned, I felt a kind of elation at the prospect of starting something new.

Since then, I’ve been through the gamut.

It’s always a risk to leave a job, and there is — I admit — the fear that I’ve made a terrible mistake and I may never work again. But, at the same time, I have confidence in my ability not just to do what I can already do, but to learn new things and broaden my horizons.

It has also been hard to pull myself away from a group of friends who have sustained me emotionally over the past five years. I truly don’t know whether I will see them again.

So, in answer to the question: I feel elated and deflated at the same time. I am sad that I have to leave things behind, but ready, willing and able to face new challenges.

The clock doesn’t stop ticking.

As a friend of mine is fond of saying, onward and upward.

Update: I left the UAE on April 21 and arrived in Brisbane on April 22. More soon.

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