Yet, to this day, being called a “quitter” is rarely a compliment. Why? Who determined that quitting was bad and why hasn’t the typical prejudice often accompanied with quitting been extinguished? Throughout my life, I’ve had the privilege of quitting many things: men, jobs, friends. To be fair, they’ve also quit me. If I had a dollar for every time a man, job or friend decided to “go in another direction,” I’d have about $174. But who’s counting? Personally, though, the issue with quitting isn’t so much about


A


giving up but knowing in your bones that it’s the right time to give up. To quit and know without a doubt that you won’t have regrets about your decision later down the road. Is that possible? I mean, how do we actually know we’ve made the right decision until we make it? And if it turns out to be the wrong decision, what do we do rectify it? Maybe part of the problem with quitting is how we consider the


action. Maybe in some instances, quitting isn’t giving up but simply changing our minds. After all, we grow up (most of us, anyway), we evolve (again, most of us) and we learn that things change. Specifi- cally, we change. As a result, what we liked or wanted or hoped for a year ago, a month ago, a week ago, day ago, may not be the same anymore. When I was younger, I wanted to be an actor. Just one problem: I


have the acting skills of Madonna. I tried acting. I starred in a few local commercials, a web series, an independent horror film (equipped with my very own Baywatch running scene), but I eventually quit going out on auditions. Why? I changed my mind. I decided acting wasn’t right for me . . . as did many casting directors. So, would you call me a “quitter” and criticize or judge me for this decision? Or would you slap me on


few years ago, I wrote a blog article about the act of quitting. Basically, I deconstructed why quitting has such a negative connotation. For example, when we quit smoking or drinking or eating carbs, we’re often rewarded, even lauded as heroes in some circles.


the ass, buy me a drink and say, “Thank God”? Perhaps you need to see my acting reel for an honest reaction. Why, then, when we quit a job, a relationship, a friend, a family member or a city that is no longer fulfilling to us, do we beat our- selves up with feelings of guilt and/or regret? Why do we consider quitting these unfulfilling situations to be a bad thing? Why do we allow ourselves to feel like failures? Life is short. As such, no one wants to waste their precious time.


And, since life is so short, shouldn’t we try to enjoy it as much as possible? With that being said, how much time, effort and energy should we dedicate to a job, relationship or city that has seemed to run its course? Should we give it adequate time to change, to get better? What is adequate time? Or, at the first sign of trouble or inconvenience, should we move on to something else, something new? Think about that popular saying: The grass is always greener on the other side. Now, think about its counterpoint: The grass is greener where you water it. But realistically, how much water within ourselves are we supposed to use to make the grass greener, to make a situation better? Don’t we eventually risk letting ourselves run dry? And then what? We’re just stuck. Perhaps knowing when to quit and being able to quit, to officially pull that plug clean out and walk away, is a sign of strength, not weak- ness. I can’t help but wonder if that’s the ultimate quality we should all strive to achieve: quitting without explanation, but also quitting despite the possibility of guilt or regret. There’s another popular saying, one we should all become familiar with and, when needed, use as a security blanket: Life goes on. Whether we have feelings of guilt, regret or fear, life goes on, for a little while, anyway. And if we don’t make the most of it, who will? Still, it’s difficult to know which is worse: missing an opportunity because we were too scared to make a change or making that change prematurely and missing what we already had.


Cutter Slagle is the author of suspense, horror and crime-fiction works. Discover more at cutterslagle.com


MAY 2021| @theragemonthly 33


OR NOT TO QUIT? TO QUIT


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