Leaving has been the hard part of Going. Saying farewell to my wonderful workplace of just shy of seven years was difficult.

To be honest, I felt apprehensive about giving formal notice at work – my mind raced through ‘what if’ scenarios. But I wanted to give notice early so that my work had time to restructure, train, and recruit. It turned out that being direct and giving notice 2.5 months before my end date worked out very well. Another thing that worked out well was that I only told one other employee – my supervisor – who decided how and when to share that information throughout the agency.

I decided to share my resignation letter here with names removed.

Dear [Supervisor],
Some time ago, back when I reported to him, [CEO] asked me if I was considering leaving Peaceful Living to work for another provider. There had been a number of administrative staff departures around that time. I answered that I had no intentions of doing so and that I only saw myself leaving if I returned to school for my Masters degree or moved back overseas.

It’s with mixed emotions that I inform you that I will be leaving Peaceful Living effective Tuesday June 18, 2019 to serve with Mennonite Central Committee in the role of Country Representative for Cambodia and Myanmar.

Originally, I had intended to leave for this position in the Fall but the timetable moved up and I wanted to give notice now so that there was ample opportunity for any restructuring, training, or recruiting related to my departure.

Peaceful Living’s positive culture, collaborative spirit, and openness to change from the status quo have had an immense impact on me. Even the stressful times at Peaceful Living have strengthened my character and offered valuable lessons on teamwork, leadership, and resilience that I will carry forward. Being in community here has made me a better person and I will forever be grateful for it. I have a deep appreciation for your leadership and the Finance team that you’ve built – [co-worker] and [co-worker] have been wonderful compatriots. I feel very excited for and confident in Peaceful Living’s future, so I am disappointed to leave the team just as we’re reaching the ‘promised land’. The numbers nerd in me is also disappointed that I’ll miss the seven year mark by a few weeks

However – my wife and I need to answer a older calling that we put off because of kids, OT grad school debt, and family. There have been many signs and it’s time for us to go. I wish Peaceful Living the best and will most certainly be cheering for you from afar

Thank you,
Charles Conklin

I couldn’t have asked for a better response from my workplace and I will miss them dearly. The last ‘not quite’ seven years have been great professionally and a lot of fun to boot.