Congratulations, Brewer! May you have a great nap under that tree.
(This response comes late in the discussion.........just my two cents worth.)
Didn't get a counteroffer for the job I had then; but they did ask me to come back and mentor new teachers, for the state's Resident Educator program (by which new teachers earn full licensure).
It's a delightful part-time gig (25 days a year), and I make my own schedule. (Not enough days to interfere with that good ER freedom.)
Then again, maybe I'm wrong about "no counteroffer." Just before Christmas, the current English Dept. chair asked if I wanted my old job back. I said, "Sure, if you find somebody to grade all the papers."
He said, "No, not that one. I mean the one where everybody hates you."
(ie., being Dept. Chair)
I just smiled.