I started this post about a month ago. And by started I mean I wrote "The Quit" as a title and then saved it as a draft.

David and I have been quite fond of The Quit in our 14 years together. We have moved 15 times in 14 years. The longest we have lived in any one place is three years. The longest we have lived in any one city is five years. We went through a phase where we moved every six months. After four months or so in a place, we would start talking about where we wanted to go next. I had a job that was mobile and we actually chose to do that.

There is something freeing about The Quit. You are exercising your right to change, to make a decision to choose something else.

As far as moving, I'm pretty tired of The Quit. It was fun while it lasted. But now, I just want to be here. This last move wasn't too traumatic for our girls, but it was hard to leave behind good friends. While they made new friends fairly easily, Grace had a tough time adjusting to her new ballet class. That sounds like a small thing, but it wasn't. She would walk into the studio and look shy and scared and stressed. I hated it.

This week, we exercised The Quit when we pulled Lillie out of school. It wasn't very fun, and I'm sure there are plenty of folks who think we should have stuck it out a little longer (Grace being one of them).

I know it could seem like the message we are sending is when something gets hard, just quit. I told the girls last night that I hope that's not what they get out of it. I hope, instead, the message they get is that you don't have to put up with something that makes you miserable. If you start a job and you hate it, look for a new job. If you choose a major and you hate it, change your major.

Not that there aren't some things that are worth sticking it out, and not that you shouldn't have a back up plan. But, your every day life should make you happy. No one should be working for the weekend or hoping that the day just goes by fast. We all have the right to look for better things.