Do It Differently Personal Training

Ben gave three weeks notice today at work! Eekkk…I know! Can you visualize him stomping into work and spontaneously deciding to quit that morning? We all know, even with his calm, steady demeanor, Ben has a bit of a spontaneous side (September, 1994 is a great example – maybe I’ll write about that too). We have been talking about this for months, so we knew this day was on the horizon. He actually tried to negotiate a few extra days of unpaid vacation, but they wouldn’t budge…so he quit!

It started in March when we definitely knew we would attend his cousin’s wedding in Seattle this summer. I had this harebrained idea to turn it into a mega road-trip including stops at Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park along the way. We started mapping out the route and possibilities, and we decided Ben would fly back from Seattle after the wedding, return to work, and me and the cubs would continue our road trip into British Columbia, and across the western provinces, eventually meeting up with Ben again in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He would fly from KC to Winnipeg and then we would all drive back to PV together. He didn’t have enough vacation days to stay with us for the whole trip. Not ideal, but still an option that seemed feasible and keep everything work-related “as is”.

When we think about it, it actually started a year ago, March 2015, when I decided to step down from the Program Director role and into a 9-month faculty position, giving me summers off and more time with the kiddos. We realize their pre-pubescent window will close faster than expected and they actually like hanging out with us, so why not? Plus, the matrix of summer camps last year nearly did us in…dress like your favorite animal on Monday, jammie day on Tuesday, bring marshmallows on Friday, etc. It was another full-time job keeping up with the creative camp counselors and their summer fun ideas. I had the option of going to a 9-month position…why not take it? Now seems like the right time. Once the concept of summers off entered the family equation, Ben was trying to figure out how he could participate too!

When we moved to KC almost 7 years ago (beware the 7 year itch is approaching again), he worked for an IT consulting company. They have a great relationship and even when he went to a full-time permanent position, they stayed in touch and encouraged him to reach out whenever he wanted to return to contract consulting work. Well, he did, and they were thrilled to hear about our plans. He is currently working with them to secure a contract position (with the plan for next summer off too) when we return in July. And funny enough, his current full-time employer asked if he would consider consulting for them! It’s wild what happens when you take that step to the edge, and hope it will all work out.

Interestingly enough, at one point in the decision making process, Ben decided he would just stay in his current role, miss the road trip across western Canada, and not take on any major changes just yet. As he was telling me he made this final decision, I could see regret and disappointment with his decision. That’s when we realized he wasn’t really following his instinct and was ready for professional growth and change…and summers off. I showed him this magnet we have on the fridge (you know, those subliminal messages meant to keep us in check), and we both realized he was ready to move onto a new role and opportunities for summers off.

He still doesn’t have a position lined up, but we aren’t worried (yet!).