I work for a cleaningcompany, for more than 10 years now. Cleaning offices in officebuildings. It’s not an exciting, exceptional or important job. Nor does it come with high responsibilities. But I feel good in this job and I know the people I work for respect me and appreciate what I do.
But once I was a qualified physiotherapist and I worked in a practice in Germany for a few years. My patients were mainly children, from 0 – 16 years old. I loved my work. But life had other plans, and I had to choose different directions several times. I don’t regret the choices I made. To me regrets mean that you rather had lived your life differently and that the life you live is second choice. Besides, each job taught me something I could benefit from later.
I helped develop a course how to work with a certain databaseprogram and was a courseleader afterwards to train office employees how to work with it. It scared the hell out of me when my boss suggested this to me at first. I always hated to stand in front of a large group of people and now this?! But saying no was no option, so I did it. And it went well.
When my hubby started a cafetaria I helped him wherever and with whatever I could. I never worked in this branche before, but I learned how to fry snacks and such, prepare takeaway food and serve tables. In the meantime I learned all I needed to do bookkeeping as well.
When we sold the cafetaria due to hubby’s healthproblems, but also for him to spend more time with his family, I started working in a greenhouse, picking cucumbers in summer and lettuce in winter. Physically it was a tough job. Heavy lifting, hot in summer and cold in winter, but I could schedule my working hours in a way that I was at home for my children when they were. Perfect for all involved. When my boss decided to stop with his company I started working for the cleaningcompany I still work for at the moment.
As I said before, I have no regrets. Every job taught me something I could use or that helped me in following years, whether mentally or physically. It kept me in shape and, more important, I was there in times my family needed me the most. I know why I did what I did and still do, who I am and what my competences are. I made choices freely and sometimes was forced to make them, but I took life as is it came, adapted and went on. Some things were meant to be I guess, to push me in the right direction, prevent bad things to happen to me or my family or simply to prepare me for my future.
No, I have no regrets. There’s more than meets the eye, and I am the one who knows exactly what!
Take a walk! 