Time comes in all lives when a person says “That’s
enough…I’m done…” Turning off the tractor,
closing the grade book, handing over the keys and walking away.
Teacher friends of mine taught for forty years, forty years! I think of their names and see them in my
mind. Some took that long desired
cruise, some moved away from the desert climate, and some, oh those teachers,
got sick.
One of my friends retired on a Friday and developed shingles on Monday. If you do not know what shingles are, look it up. You have no idea how AWFUL this is.
Another precious friend was diagnosed with breast
cancer. Since her breast cancer was genetic,
she had a double mastectomy, chemo, radiation, and then developed uterine
cancer. A wonderful teacher, dear
friend, and school board member, she died.
Enough. There
are many stories, good and bad.
Point of this post:
Recognize
it is time to stop, to walk away.
You know when it is time, you can feel it. Do not deny the hip, knee, or shoulder. Do not ignore pain or sense of exhaustion.
A number of issues forced me to retire, a good ten
years early. And then the same issues that drove me during some mighty fine teaching years had followed me home. An severe elbow injury and serious migraine inheritance---I try to ignore them when creating a project.
But, paying attention to the signs and pain taught me to stop, leave what I was doing, and walk away.
But, paying attention to the signs and pain taught me to stop, leave what I was doing, and walk away.
 |
| Let go |
How about you?
