This week, I will tell a boss I like and respect that it’s time for me to move on to the next chapter in my life.

I work for a great guy, and one I hate disappointing.  I haven’t always been so fortunate, so resigning to one I like and respect makes it more difficult. (I won’t even go into the fantasies I had about resigning to the Bosses From Hell)  I know I’m going to be leaving him in the lurch when I give notice, and hate that thought.   I’m pretty sure he has no idea I’m going to do this.  I hate that thought too.

Why am I retiring so soon?  I won’t even be sixty for several years.

As with many Boomers, my husband and I are both faced with elderly parents, and I want to be able to enjoy as much time as I can with them.  My mother in law isn’t as well as she would like, and has mobility issues.  I can be of real use to her. I’d like to take her to a museum and lunch in The City, if she’s up to it. It would be great to spend a few days helping to clean out my parents’ attic or my MiL’s basement. Run a few errands for who ever needs it.  Cook up my latest favorite recipe that reminds me of that summer we all spent in Spain and take it over to whomever would like it. In short, I want to be able to be there for them if they need anything – as they have always been there for me.

I want to be able to have lunch or coffee with my besties and not have to leave to take an emergency work call. I want to be able to commit to that black tie fundraiser without having to worry if I’ll end up in New York or Boston at the last minute.  I’m also tired of getting up for 6am conference calls because people on the East Coast have no concept the US has different time zones – I am being charitable by pretending they didn’t know and were not just being jerks.  Ever have to saddle up your brains that early?  Gruesome. Fortunately, those 9am ET snoozers weren’t video calls and no one saw me with my head on my desk, or sticking pins in my collection of voodoo dolls.  I am not a pleasant person before I have my coffee and the heater turns on.  Just ask my family.

I tallied up all these and more reasons for leaving, and filled a page.  I also tallied up the reasons to stay working, and came up with three pretty important ones.  My boss, my team, and the awesome people I work with.  I had to pause – it was almost equal in weight. I then decided that while I will miss them very much, with social media, I can still stay in touch.  The hammer fell.

Yes, it’s time.  I have the support of my husband, son, family, and closest friends.  I am fortunate to have the financial wherewithal to not need to worry, thanks to my lifelong penchant for saving every penny I could, and our relatively simple lifestyle.  My husband is going to work a few more years, so I have insurance, and don’t yet need to deal with having him home all day.  I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

I am on my boss’s calendar for Friday, and will do it.  Wish me luck.