When to Quit

I have always taken pride in my ability to stick things out through the thick and thin of it. When others have jumped ship, I only become more determined to keep the boat afloat. But what if the boat is sinking, and there is no way to keep it from sinking except drastic measures? You can either decide you are willing to take those drastic measures, jump ship, or look like a fool on board as the boat slowly sinks below the waves.

I don't know why I do it. I guess I find some strange joy in being determined to make things work, to see a way out that others don't see... But, when people have made up their mind that things are a certain way, I've learned it is basically impossible to change their minds.

I happen to be the kind of person that can look past a certain situation to a brighter future. Everything is temporary, and in life we have setbacks. But perhaps I am that foolish optimist, waiting for the wind to change.

I also am not a graceful quitter. I tend to rock the boat and lead mini revolts on my way out the door. By the time I am leaving, I guess I feel like everyone needs to see my side of the story and get on my team. But I should just leave... quietly and for my own reasons.

But life is funny that way... our pride keeps us in situations which might not be best for us because we don't want others to see how we have failed. Even if we did fail, miserably, we keep waiting for the boat to magically float back up... But, the truth is, its sinking.

Or maybe, if we just jumped off we might find out we were the weight holding it down and it would be able to float again. Could we be the anchor keeping it down? Would that be even worse? To see the boat float to the top again because WE jumped off of it? Maybe it is just life leading you in a new direction...