When you first hear news of a co-worker resigning, it feels like a small death. Everything you’ve come to appreciate about them for so long will no longer be yours to enjoy, and they will be gone forever.

Even though they gave two weeks notice, each day you are staring at a ghost. Their impending absence weighs heavy as if you have possession of sinister knowledge about their upcoming death.

You should be happy for them and celebrate their bold escape. They sharpened their skills, proved their abilities, realized they were underpaid, and found a better offer as they moved upward and onward. Their fate is final now, so you should accept and reflect with appreciation of the good things that happened during their time.

Death is more like someone staying in the same job every year without change.