The other day...

The other day, I run into a girl I had not seen in a long time. We first met in one of my courses, she where there to learn how to befriend computers. She had no challenges with this at all, and spent her days helping the other participants. She where a very confident person with a huge heart, a heart she used to make a better day for those around her.

She never shared her full story with me. Her age could be 28 to 32. She had long, light-curly hair, dyed so black it was shone in blue tones. She would usually wear a face with heavy, dark eyeliners, shadows and purple or black lip stick, all painted on a white background. She dressed in black too, sometimes in baggy pants and tees with Marilyn Manson, AC/DC or Sepultura printed on them. Other times, she would wear a skirt, dark, of course, and a short-sleeved shirt with blonds.

I knew that she came with a history. Everyone in this course came with one. They came to the training of different reasons, but they all had one ting in common – they had to be here if they where to reach their goal. For some of the participants the goal was to continue to receive their paycheck every fortnight. Some had a plan of creating their own business, and for some the goal was to get back to work after years of illness.

Linda, as her name where, had to document her skills in computers before she could move on to a bachelor in administration. Her goals where clear, and she where working hard to reach them.

When the course ended, I had spent eight weeks with the gang, 14 persons from different countries, cultures, languages and backgrounds. They had put up with all my craziness, and allowed me to challenge them. And they allowed me to learn how to motivate, inspire and work with a group of people over a period of time to reach a common goal – they did not even know that there was a common goal, yet they allowed me to continue. And I moved on, not expecting to see them again any time soon.

The other day, I run into this girl I had not seen in a long time. She wore huge sunglasses covering half her face. Her hair black with this bluish color shining true, the evidence that she dyed her hair. She had dark, loose pants on, worn over a pair of black Doc Martens boots. A black tee with an image in light blue color hang loosely over her torso. In her left hand, a Whopper cheese burger.

It took me a few seconds to recognize her. She had lost some weight. She came out as older, more tired, on the brink of giving up. I could still see the fire in her eyes, the fire that so clearly shows that this is a person with willpower, dreams, and goals. A person you could trust with your life.

I also perceive something else. A sort of sadness. A sense of her giving up. We only spend a few moments together, I am running to a meeting. In those few moments, she tell me her dream of getting a bachelor degree seems battered. She is ill again. The cancer is back, an on going fight that drains all the energy. She sleeps up to 18 hours a day. She is about to loose her faith in her own future, she is giving up on her dreams.

As I rush on to my meeting, one thing is she said is ringing in my head. “You care for everyone, Kai. That is how you are different”.

She is having the worst time of her life. She obviously needs someone. And I run away to a meeting that in the big picture is just as important as any other meeting – not at all. And yet she finds the strength to make me feel good about myself. When I should be spending my time helping her feeling good about her, comfort her.

Linda. People like you are amazing. Thank you for letting me know you. You can do it!