Dear Meg,

My retirement experience was similar to yours and it has
taken me a long time to reconcile myself to it. I had taught
for 31 years, had been on just about every committee that had
ever existed, was a department head, and, and, and ..... A
very good friend sat down with me a couple years after it all
and she said something that has stuck with me. In the end,
it is only from within ourselves that we celebrate our
contributions to the world. She reminded me of all the
visible things that remained from my work, and she reminded
me of the students who continue to visit, write me, or work
in the area in which I taught. That, truly, is our reward as
teachers.

I hope that you can find your way through the bitter feelings
that I know you're having. No one can take away the impact
you had on a place unless you hand it over to them. Make
your own happiness. Good luck.

Share This Post | Report This Post

Next Post >>

Posts on this thread, including this one