Dear Brendan Ryan

Dear Brendan Ryan,

I know what it's like when your boss decides you're no longer good enough to do your job. And I know what it's like when your boss hires someone else to do your job without telling you. And I know what it's like to be employed but not really have a job to do any more.

I empathize with you, Brendan, because I like you.

There are three things you can do now. You can quit. You can fight to keep your job. Or, you can move on gracefully. I am not really in the position to tell you which of those things to do because I took the easy way out and quit. But I can tell you this: no matter the outcome, you must be confident in who you are and what you know about yourself. Don't let this situation define you. And don't let the underhandedness of the business or of your bosses make you bitter.

You are good. In fact, I see flashes of greatness in you. And they probably do too. Truthfully, I think your personality is just too big for the Cardinals. There are only a couple people allowed to stand out and rise above in this town. Sadly, you aren't one of them. (Neither was I.)

Nobody deserves a backstabbing after he's worked so hard to bring success to the community around him. But everybody deserves to be happy. If I was going to give you any advice, it would be to hold on to your happy and make that a priority. I'm thinkin' about you man!

Sincerely,

Michele, a big fan (but no bigger than anybody else in the bleachers, because that wouldn't be fair)

P.S. If you do somehow stick around, lay low. That's all I got.