I serve as a mentor to a young woman, college-aged, who is just beginning to wade through the jungle we call "the world". We had lunch today and she shared with me that when she was in high school, she felt protected and insulated from "the big, bad world", as she referred to "it". She said she had her parents, teachers and other adult leaders to help guide her when she sought guidance. Now about to be a junior in college, she is struggling with a relationship with a young man that she recognizes is not quite positive for her, yet she feels unprepared to cut the strings with him and strike out into new and unfamiliar relationship territory. Over lunch she talked and I listened, occasionally asking a probing question but mostly just indicating that I was actively listening and not making judgmental statements. After lunch, we went our separate ways and I thought of the myriad of things I wish I could have said, but did not feel was my place to state.
If only..........
I wish I could impress upon her that she has value and worth in her own right and that her worth is not determined by whether or not she is in a relationship with some guy.
I wish I could help her believe in her own self.....to see the outer and inner glow that she exudes to others and that she could "see" it for herself.
I wish I could help her understand that, in a relationship, she is not always the one who needs fixing.
I wish I could help her become comfortable with herself and see that alone time is valuable, too.
I wish she could gain the confidence to look in the mirror (both a glass mirror and the mirror of life) and be comfortable with her own reflection.
If only............
Ancora imparo
