Life Disappointments

What has disappointed you most in your adult life and why, and how have you remedied or improved the situation?

At 71 years of age I wondered if the career path I chose to practice was really the right one. When I asked myself this question about what has disappointed me the most I immediately thought about it, although I still question whether it is really a disappointment.

I dedicated 30 years of my life to education, specifically special education for children with special conditions such as Down syndrome, among others. It was a profession that I practiced with a lot of love for what I did and during all that time I felt very fulfilled knowing that I was being an agent of change and support for many families who did not have access to private education.

So, I became an education teacher in the public sector to assist special children and prepare them to function in the real world. A very arduous job that required, in addition to academic preparation, a lot of dedication and patience because it was definitely at times a very tiring, although very satisfying, task.

Today I look back at those memories and I am moved by what I have accomplished, I believe that if I were to go back I would not change my decision at all, however, I find it very disappointing that at an economic level I have not been able to represent an improvement in my life that would allow me to live comfortably in my retirement or at least not with worries about sustaining myself on a daily basis without having to depend on the support of my daughters.

Education in my country has always been undervalued and that is really disappointing, it is the teachers who build a society and a country with solid principles and values that allow sustainable development for all. Those of us who dedicate our lives to train others for the future should be better paid and have benefits that help us in these moments of our lives when we are retired from the profession to live with dignity.

It's really a shame and very disappointing!

But even so, I will not change my decision, because the choice I made more than 50 years ago was not based on economic projection but on my desire to serve and contribute something valuable to my country. I hope that at some point in our history this reality will change.

How have I improved this situation?

Well, I had to make use of other resources and talents to be able to support myself economically as in my cooking and handicrafts. Looking for ways to reinvent myself and keep busy as well. Another thing I hope to support myself with is my blog which is also a help.