All of us go through what St. John of the Cross calls "The Dark Night Of The Soul." It's known by many other names. Mid-life crisis, life changes, etc. Whether it's leaving a job after years or ending a marriage, these changes are hard. Sometimes they're embraced with optimism. But most of the times, ending a job, friendship or relationship, even when it's for the best, comes with fear, sadness, guilt, depression and anger.
I remember when my mother quit her job working as a CPA for another CPA. For as long as I could remember, she built herself up to earn her CPA certification, but over time, she was unhappy working for someone else. In 2005, she decided to leave her job and start her own business. She was terrified. I was scared for her. From afar, I had faith she was doing what she felt was right. But from her end, she still had three underage children, a husband, a house and one child in college to support. She knew the risks of starting her own business, but it doesn't make it any less scary. In 2005, I too, was going through my own change. I was due to graduate. Due to some very intense paranormal cases where we were working with the Catholic Church, I ended up having to temporarily drop out of college. There was fear on how I would come up with the finances to resume my education. My family, already giving me five years of supporting my college career, were strained. I was scared. I was also angry at myself for failing all my classes that semester (which forced me to drop out, so the grades wouldn't count). Did I have a valid reason? It depends on who you ask. I knew I couldn't abandon the families we were helping, who were experiencing life-or-death situations. My parents didn't understand and to this day I don't expect them to.
