One or two of you might be wondering where I’ve been the past few weeks.  I had a chance to do what I love doing most.

Visit new cities…

Celebrate love and life with old friends…

And splurge on yummy foods I probably shouldn’t eat…

I’ll have more on that later, but first, I have some unfinished business here.  You’re probably dying to know about this coming out business, right?  Hold on, it’s not what you think.  I recently described how I was finally able forced to face actually leaving my career.  I made the decision, and that was it… mostly.

I officially gave my notice in late July.  My last day in the office was November 17, 2011.  What happened between July and December is probably the juiciest part of the whole 10 years of story I’ve described.  But I better not go into it here.  Let’s just say I didn’t get a going away party thrown for me when I left, a standard tradition for “cordial” employee departures at this office.

But something happened here that could never be topped by a silly office party.  As I like to describe it, I finally came out of the closet.  I finally shared with the world a secret I kept inside for many years.

And then guess what happened?

You all gave me the best going away party I could have ever asked for.

Support, laughter, and excitement rolled in from all over the world from a bunch of strangers who took a moment to listen and relate.

I wasn’t always confident I was doing the right thing, and this support got me through those insecure times.  Suddenly I wasn’t going through this difficult separation alone, and I learned that I wasn’t a freak of nature or a loser for not loving what is in many ways a great career.  This camaraderie prevented me from going to that place of doubt and insecurity on a daily basis.

It allowed me to celebrate the changes and connect with others driven to make their own changes in life.

So I owe you all one big giant THANK YOU!

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