A Journey To My Dream Destination

Sometimes moral clarity is wrapped in unexpected packaging (a tale of two photographs, quitting my job - and a meditation on intuition)

Late-season berries and blossoms here at Spotted Dog Farm

On January 28^th, I – along with thousands of my federal colleagues – received the now-infamous “Fork in the Road” email, an invitation to quit our jobs or take part in a “renewed focus on serving the American people”. OPM’s FAQs, still available online as of this writing, glibly invited us to use the offered seven months of paid administrative leave however we liked: “You are most welcome to stay at home and relax or to travel to your dream destination. Whatever you would like.”

Like many, I opened this missive with a mixture of disbelief, dread, and then a growing sense of rebellion – no way was I leaving an almost two-decade career or abandoning my public service mission that easily.

In the weeks that followed, my bulletin board filled with political cartoons and inspiring quotations, most prominently a “Hold the Line” sketch featuring a tantrum-throwing chief executive facing off against a row of resolute federal workers.

By March, I had been reassigned from remote work to a temporary…