Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Momentary Mentors

I've long admired Gwen Moritz, Editor of Arkansas Business. I think she is an extremely savvy business woman, an excellent journalist, and an all around neat woman.

I'd sent Gwen about a million press releases over the years, but never had the chance to meet her in person until late last year at a reception. I sent her an email after the event to let her know I was glad to have the chance to speak to her in person, and a back and forth of emails and facebooking began from there.

I posted to my facebook this week about my first solo outing, to The Rep. I'd never gone anywhere by myself, ever, until this weekend. I found it liberating, and met some really cool old ladies that I wouldn't have otherwise met.

A friend of mine commented on my post, saying that she's been trying to muster up the courage to see an afternoon movie solo, but she hasn't yet found the chutzpah to do so.

Gwen was very saddened by this, and she sent me a message telling me so. She said that we should never, ever not do something we want to do just because we don't have someone to do it with us. And she's right. Life is too short to miss even a single opportunity to grow, to learn, and to experience. She went on to explain that as a married mother, she rarely has opportunities be alone these days, and she cherishes the time that she does have to herself. Very valid point, one I appreciated.

So in that moment, Gwen was my momentary mentor, whether she realized it or not. She shared something from her own experience that will change the way I think and act.

There are formal processes to being a mentor, be it a professional mentor or some other form of mentorship. But we shouldn't discount the momentary mentors that swoop in and out of our lives, always at just the right moment.

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