Good People

I had a moment, just a minute ago, that made me stop what I was doing. In the middle of this crazy, spastic, unruly mess of moving between two homes, unpacking, working (and boy am I ever working), getting ready for school, and doing the normal mom stuff; I just had this epiphany: I know good people.

Well, for those of you lucky enough to never have to question this, I have to explain that this is a pretty amazing thing for me. Once I got out on my own after high school, I ran into just about every type of horrible person possible. Stalkers, peepers, users, hypocrites, gossips, criminals, drug addicts willing to steal my tip jar, people who seemed to want to destroy me - you name it and I had a run in with them. I kept trying to believe people were more good than bad, only to have an encounter or two that left me wondering if I weren't completely mistaken. It felt like I had a neon sign pointed right at me saying "willing victim - easy target - sucker for a sob story"

As I settled into a more stable life and job(s), some of the more extreme stuff toned down; however, I still felt like I was at the losing end of every relationship. I believe in supporting the people you care about. I promote good work that people do, even if I don't always agree with them or get along with them. Yet, as much as I put myself out there for folks, we never seemed to get the same in return. It hurt to struggle and watch "friends" turn away from us.

Sure I had some great people in my life, but then they'd move or life would make it really difficult to get together. I just couldn't connect for long. Nothing was easy or even close to manageable.

But something's changed... and it changed rather recently. It wasn't my work ethic, it wasn't my environment, it wasn't my faith; it was something bigger like the last crumbling pieces of whatever was holding me back have fallen away. What I got was opportunity and a voice.

Those opportunities came from other people, people that believe in what I can do. I know hard working people that want to share these wacky journeys. People I can send business to that say: "hey, thanks for that," and really mean it.

One little offer to help me out today made me pause to think about all the folks that have been extending a hand - people I count on, that have made things just a little bit easier.

I don't count all those bad experiences as completely bad - it made me who I am. I work harder, I care more, I appreciate the heck out of the good folks, it made me look at second and third chances in a whole new light. When I see people down and out, I have compassion for them. I see people who are "different" for their uniqueness and not as outsiders. I'm happy with the way I've come to view life through all the challenges I faced.

So here I am today, feeling a little lighter for all the smiling faces I can count - for all the phone calls I've received today (weird coincidence?), for all the good things I see happening for the people I know. I wish I could tell 19 year old me how much better it gets, but I think I always believed it had to one day which is why I kept fighting to get through it.

This is my little thank you for all the folks who are filling my heart today. Next stop after the good life, is making an impact for the greater good. Lets hope I can get there!