Did I Make The Right Decision?
Eavesdropping on a phone call gave me my answer.
How do you know when you made the right decision?
Everyone has moments in life when big decisions must be made. What college to attend (if any), accepting a job offer, choosing a medical treatment. These are difficult decisions. The result is open-ended until the decision is made. In some cases, the decision can’t be reversed.
Google shows over 3.7 billion results to the phrase “how to make a decision.” Research, how-tos, steps, graphs, processes, charts, and more can be found on how to make a decision.
Whatever your process for making a decision, you might regret the decision you make.
You may not know if your decision was right until after the decision is in effect.
The Big Decision
One month ago, I retired after a 41-year career in education.
Four decades is a lifetime for many. My career in education gave me purpose. I was good at what I did. I loved my job. I enjoyed getting up for work every day.
My career gave me lifelong friends.
Retirement was a big decision for me. I’m still capable of meeting the demands of the job. I wondered if this was the right time to retire.
I renewed my teaching license because you never know. An opportunity might come along. I had already completed the work required. The processing fee was only 25 dollars.
The Retirement Life
Weirdly, I don’t feel retired yet. This is summer break when most educators are off anyway. So I started retirement with a deep cleaning of the house. Just like my 40 previous summers.
I’ve been told the reality of retirement won’t hit until the first day of school in August.
I had errands to run yesterday. The errands took me down the street from the school. I stopped by to say hello to the office staff. I count them among some of my best friends.
While I was there, the office manager answered the phone. From listening to one side of the conversation, I could tell it was a parent calling to request her child be evaluated for special education services.
I knew the call would be transferred to my old phone.
My retirement decision was confirmed to be correct.
I believe in paying attention to my inner voice. It often speaks up first.
Yesterday, my inner voice expressed happiness about not being responsible for checking that parent message on my old phone. I felt a sense of relief.
What’s next for me?
Can I just leave 41 years behind? No more markers, pens, pencils, and stickers. No more smiling children (and clinging germs).
No, I have a plan. I’ll be back to volunteer. One day at my former school, one day at my granddaughter’s.
Do you know how much fun cafeteria duty is when they serve breakfast for lunch? French toast sticks dipped in syrup. Sticky smiling faces and hands ready to give you a hug. I can’t wait!
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