Hero

There is a person on the outskirts of my life who I privately call "hero".  Why I chose that euphemism, or who it is doesn't matter. What does matter is that a couple of chance encounters helped to change my life.

I said I would tell you about some of those "chance" meetings.  This is the first.

It began as a ritual of sorts.  I was new to Facebook and spent some evenings tracking down my past--childhood chums, high school mates,  friends with whom I had lost touch.  My mother had passed away, friends had moved out of town.  My job had left me feeling isolated.  Depressed and lonely, feeling fat and non-descript, I sought sympathy and a reason for being.  Yes, I have my husband, my beloved children and grandchildren,  but their lives belonged to them, not to me.

When I came across the old friend's name, I did not expect to be remembered.  I clicked on "add a friend" and was surprised and delighted when  "of course I remember you!" was the response.  The messages after that were fun and hope-building, the words meant to be encouraging and flattering.

"I like the way you write," began one note. "What is your goal?" said another, each followed by rah-rah enthusiasm and heartening compliments. "Embrace what you want."  Each of these things had been said before, but I wasn't ready then to listen.  This time, I was ready to take charge.

I began to walk again at my friend's suggestion, increasing my speed and mileage every week. When it got too cold and dark it was suggested I join the Y. I did, and it is among the best decisions I ever made.  I am more limber, a bit trimmer and much stronger than I have been in decades.

When one has friends who are people of faith, one is drawn to have more faith.  My belief in God went from doubt to absolute.  I joined a church where I felt at home, mostly because my hero had faith and I wanted it too.

When I looked in the mirror and saw what I had let myself become, I no longer wondered why I had no confidence in myself as a woman or as a person.  I began to change my dress, my attitude, my way of thinking.  The simple words, "you're pretty and good-natured" stayed in my head.  Maybe, just maybe, I am.

Eventually, the comments about my writing took hold, too.  Along with the encouragement of my hero came the inspiration of other friends, and some instruction on how to build a blog.  In February, my long-held dream of being a writer took root.

Hero, you know who you are.  You helped me to begin a whole new chapter in my life.  I don't know where you are now, nor if you will ever read this.  I hope to see you someday to show you what you, and others like you, have done to give me the confidence to face new challenges, and to leave behind the self-centered person I was not long ago.  I owe what I am becoming to those friends who were once forgotten,  or misplaced, and are now a part of my life.

All it took was a chance meeting, one minute of billions in a lifetime.  Five little words, "of course I remember you", and I was on my way.

Thanks, hero.