Worth Waiting For
A year seems like a long time to wait for a mentor. But then again, when you’re a kid and you don’t already know what it’s like to have one, you don’t know what you’re missing. So you wait. Your therapist tells you they referred you to a program that’s going to find you a mentor and you agree to it. But you’re really too busy with your own anxiety and difficulties to even wonder much about it. Life carries on and you use whatever coping mechanisms you have to get through it on your own, one disappointing day after another.
That’s what it was like for Chloe. But then one day, everything changed. Her therapist told her Great Life Mentoring knew a nice lady who wanted to be her mentor—someone who was interested in becoming her friend, who she could hang out with every week, for a year, just for fun.
For many good reasons, Chloe didn’t trust adults. But on this occasion, she was willing to be courageous and meet Maria. At least being with Maria would get her out of the house and offer an escape from the stress of her life. She was right.
Hanging out with Maria was fun. The two girls had a lot in common. They like singing, reading, vintage stores and swinging! The best part about it was that Maria was faithful. She always showed up just like she said she would.
Even though Chloe isn’t fond of physical activity, she began to notice she was losing weight after all the fun of taking walks and swimming with Maria. Feeling inspired, she decided to stop drinking energy drinks, lower her sugar intake and cut back on caffeine (her own decisions)! She feels much calmer now and said she is so “proud of herself.” She says she’s even doing better in school.
It’s been over a year and the two friends have decided to extend their mentoring relationship long-term. Chloe says there are only two people in the world that she trusts and Maria is one of them: She calls Maria her best friend. Because of Maria, Chloe now knows what a true friend is and she says “they have your back."
That kind of friend is worth waiting for!