Tonight I sent in my resignation letter to the ambulance corps.

Several things have happened to or around me lately that led me to know in my heart this was the right thing to do. I was 90% of the way to deciding that this was the right choice. And then on Monday I got an email that started out “Rick is ok, but…”

Rick is my leadership coach for the new technology leadership program at my university. He leads our sessions but he also is my phone coach, helping me between program sessions to identify, develop, and succeed in my personal and professional goals. During our first session Rick told me a lot about himself, including where he went to college (Vermont, although a different school than I went to) and which sports teams he roots for (Boston… ME TOO!) and what car he drives (Subaru, which was the first car I bought myself). A kindred spirit. A father figure in a way that I truly appreciate.

He had a heart attack on Monday. He didn’t die, but I let myself imagine “what if”. I played back our last group day together, where several of us independently chose Rick as an example of a true leader. We think of him as a mentor, someone we want to be like. And we almost lost him.

Today was supposed to be our phone coaching time, but he’s in bed recovering. So, in his honor, I reached out to someone else I trust to help coach me to bravely make this decision, and I followed through with it.

Life is too short to waste on other people’s priorities. It’s time for me to work on my own priorities.

You too, if you like.