Mentor Mentor Mentor
In between packing and kid stuff today, I received the most wonderful e-mail in response to one I had sent. When I originally registered for this conference, I noticed that one of the speakers was the first recreation therapist that took me on as a practicum student in University. She now has a PhD and is busy doing research that actually affects practice (gasp!). I learned so much from her … and in a period of about 18 months as a student and then co-worker. She taught me on a minute-by-minute basis how to put the client first, but still remain an efficient and effective RT. The examples she demonstrated have stuck with me for 15 years. So, I emailed her and told her so. I wrote her the kind of note that I think all of us should get at least once in our lifetimes. One that said: hey, you made a big difference in me. And that I couldn’t wait to shake her hand to congratulate “Dr. Her” at the conference. Today, she emailed back and said: Let’s do one better. Let’s have dinner on Thursday night. I am over-the-moon about just seeing her; let alone sitting down to dinner and conversation with her.
It got me thinking a lot about mentoring. We have the “official” role of mentoring in our lives: our children, our siblings perhaps, students, new co-workers. But what about the “unofficial” ones? Funny, the first person that comes to mind is a quiet 10-year old girl at church who seems to latch herself to me whenever she can, and compliment me profusely. I need to think of myself more as a mentor to her. I don’t mean it as a hierarchy thing, but rather as being committed to guide. To listen. To demonstrate excellence. That’s a big responsibility, I think. I wonder if God plans it all out on a big pin-filled map, barking orders: “You! You shadow Bev, already! And Bev! You shadow him … you might learn something there, girl … so pay attention!”
And who mentors me? Hmmm … my sister-in-law, who is always a bit calmer and wiser when it comes to certain things. My running partner, Tara, definitely is a mentor in both a physical fitness sense and a spiritual sense. I know there are more; I need to think about that more really.
So … who is your mentor? And who do you mentor? Word of the day, folks.
