I had a good chat today. It doesn't happen all that often anymore. And that good chat comes after a good chat on Sunday. And that chat comes after a good chat on Saturday.
It seems like ever since becoming an adult, people are too busy to sit and chat with no real purpose other than to talk. And that lack of talk is hard to bear. It isn't easy to transition into 'real life' and it certainly isn't easy to move some place where you don't know anyone. As encouraging as I'd love to be in telling people that connecting with others and breaking into the culture of a place you've never lived, it just isn't anymore.
And back in the good old days, I used to have regular Deep Meaningful Conversations or DMCs with people that had good things to say. It wasn't about the topics of conversation, though the topics were always outstanding. It was always about enjoying the company of others and letting that conversation drift into a place of deeper meaning. And when you left, you felt like you learned something about that person that you thought you knew so well.
Today, the chat was about the need for a mentor. If there is one thing missing from my life at this moment, it is a mentor. While I often get to talk with people I trust, I don't have anyone sitting in my corner cheering me on in a mentoring capacity. I have plenty of cheerleaders, and that is certainly wonderful to have. My parents are great, my family is supportive, friends are always wonderful to hear from, but not always consistent, and my best friends are constantly excited about what I'm about to talk about next.
But, mentors are missing. The people who are able to tell you things you don't always want to hear and tell you what kind of work it takes to get places and the ones who can tell you that you're good at something and should find your way to use those strengths.
That kind of mentorship isn't easy to come by. It takes time and work and a general care for one another to develop the relationship into one where you can learn from one another. This type of relationship is something that in conversation today I realized is lacking in my life.
I think it stems from a great conversation I had with my AP English teacher from high school and a constant reminder of my supervisor in college. Both are now retired and able to tell me some great things about the world. And I am constantly surprised when both mentors tell me about how I have inspired them or helped them see something they didn't see before. Likewise, both are full of life and have lived the type of life that I'm interested in pursuing. Both are constantly waiting to see my name in the headlines, though I have no great desire to be there.
Its that type of relationship that I really need right now. I only wish these two wonderful people were a bit closer in my life and that we had a better opportunity to connect. I still don't get into technology all the time because you lose inflection and tone in e-mail and chat. You lose so much of what makes a conversation. You can be distracted and doing other things and it is seen as a norm through internet connections.
But when you and another person are in the same room, sharing a living space or a public space or really any space, you and that person become connected and engaged in a strong interaction that is tough to shake with distractions and outside influences.
I am excited to develop my mentorships and excited to find more mentorships in my life. I'm on my way towards something big, but I don't know what it is yet. Life is good. Life is fun. And slowly but surely, my life will be, as it always has been, passion filled.
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