My 65^th birthday came and went. This one was bittersweet. On the one hand, I made it to 65 and had the strength to blow out the candles on my birthday cake. On the other hand, my age disqualified me from continuing teaching due to mandatory retirement in the country where I have taught for the last 15 years: China.

Many years ago, I worked for two different newspapers and reported stories of community interest. I specialized in stories about education, however there were other stories I was assigned.

One day, I was called into the editor’s office and told a story I had written didn’t coincide with the agenda of the newspaper.