Writer writes kiss-off letter to dream job

Dear Dream Job,

Thank you for meeting with me last Thursday and showing me what work life could be like, what it might be like with you.

Imagine a new life with such creative and brilliant folks. And O, the work you promised me: eLearning, mobile apps, Flash presentations, glossy training guides, sales curricula. All the exciting things we could do together: script-writing for videos, possibly documentaries; business-to-business you said; marketing kits you held. Such a reprieve from the lengthy, detailed documents that my current job requires I write.

Your promises overwhelmed me. But, O, what a first date!

You must have expected that I would fall madly in love.

Perhaps, you thought I lacked enthusiasm. (I did not). Or, maybe you wondered why I stuttered over my words and blushed at the reticence of talking about myself. I guess that the sluggishness of corporate existence shows; I am out of practice with casual and interesting business conversation. I subdued my excitement and with that, I’m afraid, I appeared uninterested, inattentive, possibly bored. But how else could I be expected to act? You had me speechless with all your creative wealth! I was spellbound. At times, awed into silence.

There were, however, inklings that it would not work out. There was the geographical distance between us. And in the office, too much space around us. Unexpectedly, your business associate joined and I felt you irritated by his moving in on was meant to be yours. I’ve seen that before and the pull of ownership can be damaging.

There were other things hinted at, too: The long hours that we would spend together. (Hours that would take time and energy from my truest love.)

And if I was to say what I’ve been thinking about your friends surfing web sites of questionable content at work and knowing that you were okay with it, you might think me a stick-in-the-mud and prudish with hang-ups about impudence.

We are all imperfect, but I didn’t like that about you.

Despite that and because of all this, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we met.

While I know that we could have been very, very (very!) happy together, before this goes any further, I have to break it off. I do hope that you understand, dear Dream Job.

This may not be the right time for us, but O, how I hope that we will meet again.

All my best,

Valerie

Originally published online at www.durhamregion.com/typepad/people, November 20, 2009.