Back where I worked for over a decade until this past October, in an industry known for remarkably high turnover rates, I was appointed to figure out why our company was losing so many of its workers; a workforce of over 1,000 people at a time, with a turnover which was higher than 100%.

Within the first year, I cracked the code. I figured out the complex industry secret that not even my own company was aware of. (This is a secret that none of the competitors know to this day, either.)

I had invented a 5 point formula to help the new and current employees from wanting to leave the company so quickly; as my system proactively warned them in advance of hurdles that would hurt their ability to make a profit. My system had proven during those 5 years that the number of employees who stayed a year or longer at dramatically increased.

That was my role for the past 5 years of my life. It came so natural to me that I could do it without thinking about it. I had figured out how to prevent the problem and managed a team whose role was to prevent turnover through aggressive onboarding.

Over this past weekend I had a dream that I was summoned back to work there again, as the headquarters of the company realized what a major financial loss it was to no longer have me and my team there. But then I woke up, thinking, “No, that’s not my problem anymore!”

Back in October, it was just my branch in Tennessee that was shut down; which contained the Retention Department that I built up and managed. The other headquarters and other branches are still in business; meaning the company is now without my proven retention system in place.

Apparently, part of my subconscious is still linked to my skill set in helping those individual people who are now confused on why their profits have suddenly slumped since October.

They’re probably being told, “It’s just slow right now.” But in reality, I know the reasons production for certain workers never dropped after my department was shut down; because certain workers continued to apply my method even after I was gone.

Today I happened to drive by the empty parking lot, that just last summer was providing jobs for 83 of us. Employees used to have to park out in the street, whereas now it’s a ghost town.

But whatever’s happening back at my old company is now O.P.P.

It’s other people’s problems.

None of that matters anymore.

I can now enjoy the life of a stay-at-home dad and no longer worry about saving a company money.

Instead, I’m saving my household money by staying home with the kids.

It’s like how despite graduating college well over a decade ago, I still have dreams every once in a while that it’s the semester before graduation, yet I forgot about that one class that will ultimately prevent me from graduating.

I have moved on with my life, even if some small part of me is still functioning in a routine that had become such a big part of my identity.

But unlike the 4th season of Lost, there is no need for me to return to the island to save those who were left behind.

I am not Jack Shephard.