On Saturday, I experienced what could very possibly be the most satisfying moment of my adult life.
I quit. Well, first I was fired, and then I quit (I mean, why not quit if you were just fired? Duh). In a very dramatic gesture, I threw down my bar rag and said, “I’m leaving! I hate working here, and I hate this place.”
And then I walked out. Of course, I walked back in only minutes later to be re-hired, but that’s not the point. The point is that I actually quit, and it felt as good as I could have ever imagined it to be. When Barbara Ehrenreich, in her pseudo-journalistic highly-fascinating exposé of the low wage workforce, finally quits her job at the end of the first story, she writes that there was absolutely no feeling of redemption, no sense of gratification, no satisfying “fuck you” at the end.
Maybe Ms. Ehrenreich neglected to make enough of a scene when she walked out of that diner—perhaps she didn’t raise her bar rag high enough in the air before throwing it to the ground—because I personally think that she was dead wrong. Walking out of that place felt fucking awesome.
But then I walked right back in and, miraculously, I now still have my job. The events that unfurled that night were wrought with charged emotions, misconceptions and compulsive behavior (and that’s all the detail you’ll be getting—I know better than to be dooced) but afterwards my boss was surprisingly understanding about the situation. And so, a mere ten minutes after I threw in the bar towel, he re-hired me and I un-quit.
26 responses so far ↓
1 TrinityOne // Aug 31, 2005 at 10:38 am
Wow. I have NEVER quit a job but I know that it WOULD feel absolutely fucking fantastic. I just know it would because I’ve dreamed of doing it every day for the past year or so. And I know exactly how I would do it do… Yes, it WOULD feel great. Kudos to you!
And
2 TrinityOne // Aug 31, 2005 at 10:39 am
Wow. That is strange… I don’t know what happened there but all of a sudden I had left not one… but two comments… and I guess this will make three. I was just going to add that I guess it is a good thing that he gave you your job back right after that. Paychecks and money come in handy sometimes.
3 jaki_o // Aug 31, 2005 at 11:43 am
Man, that would feel GREAT! I’ve wanted to do that often, but never had the nerve. I’m not sure they’d take me back…
4 derf6179 // Aug 31, 2005 at 12:03 pm
Hmm un-quit. I’m not sure I’m willing to risk something like that right now. I treasure my paycheck to get me by.
5 Ed_Kaz // Aug 31, 2005 at 12:20 pm
RYC Yeah. That Colin Quinn. Just another participant in my weakly comedy column.
kaz
6 chicagoartgirl23 // Aug 31, 2005 at 1:27 pm
You are my hero. I’ve never wanted to do that more than while on shift as a barista. I never did, but I dreamed about it to excess. Eventually I just found another job and then quit, which was satisfying, but not in that “fuck you” way that I would have liked. Congratulations and I hope everything is better now that you’ve reconciled with yourself and your boss. Also, good move about not wanting to get Duced. We had an intern who was blogging a bunch of shit about his internship and people are still talking about it. He burnt bridges with about 100 people on staff. Not good. On another note, thanks for being a good gadfly. ::smile:: I finally posted and it was very fun to do indeed. Thanks!
7 momsahippiechick // Aug 31, 2005 at 1:33 pm
oops, my bad. just look at my site. if you’re on someone’s list, you’ll see the post. near the commnets, it’ll say “protected”. check it. you’re there now. sorry.
8 Jay_galk25 // Aug 31, 2005 at 1:41 pm
Every job I’ve had I quit, for various reasons, none which need to be mentioned aloud lol.
Jay (I wish I knew how to quit him) “Rawr”
9 TimsHead // Aug 31, 2005 at 2:33 pm
Wow, you had the satisfaction of quitting and keeping your job. Quite the daily double.I really must read Nickeled and Dimed. It’s on my list, wiht all kinds of other things I don’t have time for. I suspect it would make me angry in a good way, like Fast Food Nation or One Market Under God. I like those kinds of semi-muckraking books.
10 Lucy_the_Valiant // Aug 31, 2005 at 3:11 pm
whoa! lol!Thats pretty cool that your boss rehired you…
~rivkah
11 thinlizzy17 // Aug 31, 2005 at 4:05 pm
The only thing that could have made it better is if he gave you a raise, too.
12 x_defying_gravity_x // Aug 31, 2005 at 4:07 pm
Oh man, I wish I could quit…but my job is just too sweet right now..the flexibility is amazing…I only want to work once a week while I’m at school and I can’t get a new job where I can tell them I’ll only work one day a week…so whatever. I have no choice
I haven’t heard more about my friend. My manager who they are letting call the hospital for information has been off the past two days. He’s in tomorrow and hopefully give them a call…
13 TobyWillBiteYou // Aug 31, 2005 at 5:13 pm
Uh…. congratulations? *grins* Very liberating experience indeed. One that everybody should have… at least once. I try to live by my motto:
“I am woman, hear me whine.”
Wait… is that a motto or a mantra? Are they the same thing? Where the hell did I put my dictionary…..? ~:toby:~
14 aropeofsand // Aug 31, 2005 at 5:20 pm
Wow. That is an amazing story. A satisfactory quitting and then a successive rehiring?
I think it gets harder for me to leave home the older I get. I also suppose this is how it goes as I shake the remaining “teenager” out.
15 chublin // Aug 31, 2005 at 5:40 pm
Well good for you! if your situation isn’t working out for you, it’s good to do something about it. It’s kind of amazing that you ended up back there so quick though… although i guess a lot of relationship breakups work the same way.
16 kierplablo // Aug 31, 2005 at 7:03 pm
One of my managers was fired from a job at a restaurant about ten years ago, and she said that she went into the back of the kitchen, stripped completely buck, and walked out slowly, holding her clothes. I can only admire people that end with a bang.
Portland has a city commissioner that read the book of which you blog and subsequently logged 100 hours in the jobs that Babs E. writes about. I’m not sure exactly what his intent was, but here’s the story.
17 Rod_Lamour // Sep 1, 2005 at 2:42 am
Love the drama …how Parisi of you !!!!!
18 Coccinella // Sep 1, 2005 at 4:33 am
WOW – good for you!!! Congratulations.I walked out on the job I had before this one, without even having another to go to…very risky, and I didn’t go back. My boss was actually violent, putting his fist through a wall right beside me! LOL (I can see a sitcom forming now…). Anyway, that’s awesome for you, and now maybe you’ll get a little more respect out of them too.
19 MaximaBella // Sep 1, 2005 at 5:20 am
my goodness re above, lol
Pregnancy chronicles…it may be the biological clock, you cant fight your bodies intrest, even if you could care less. I could feel it myself..
and besides, were like the same age, we both have brown hair , and dogs, and procrastinate…and now im pregnant, so its like watching yourself be pregnant..LMAO!
btw..I hit ultimate procastinator heaven…today is my first day working from home!
20 PhishChica // Sep 1, 2005 at 6:19 am
But it’s so gratifying!
21 sunshineboy78 // Sep 1, 2005 at 7:03 am
Congratulations on your new job, again. When are you moving out of state? We already have our New Mexico tickets.
22 rubyblue123 // Sep 1, 2005 at 10:32 am
I’ve always developed such loathing for my bosses that by the time I “threw in the towel” if I had to see them face to face again there would have been bloodshed. I think Ms. Ehrenreich is nuts – it does feel amazing! I feel sort of sorry that you had to un-quit. I hope it’s for the best. What’s going on with Portland?
23 momsahippiechick // Sep 1, 2005 at 10:59 am
Finally caught up with all your recent posts. Man,I love your adventures. Tom Cruise IS a Douche!
24 momsahippiechick // Sep 1, 2005 at 11:01 am
i tried to put in a pic, instead of a link. just check out the profile link. Tom Cruise is the anti christ!
25 fern_forest // Sep 3, 2005 at 8:58 am
what a fantastic story. i feel a little silly for never having done it myself. go girl!
26 anth0nyc // Sep 3, 2005 at 7:31 pm
i bet its much more satisfying to be laid off with a huge severance package like some high flying ex-CEO. or perhaps both at once?