A Hero In A Random Place

Why must I feel lost while everyone else around me seems to have it all? They obtain it with such ease making sure to showcase it all to everyone else. I am the one that defines my path for destiny, but which way is my route when it all feels like dead ends? There is a way out as long as my will stays strong, but I do not know if it can. It makes me think, why did my parents not do more to help me succeed in my journey through life? I have come to learn I can do better without them and their love for me is no longer there.

Parents and teachers say go to college and get a degree so you can get a good job. For some, like me, it is not as easy. School did not help produce that bright path I hoped for. My mother moved out when I was 9 years old with her new boyfriend and never looked back, literally. My parents decided my sister and I would live with my father since my mother was not stable enough. This helped to result in the outcome of feeling lost. I had a father who was an alcoholic so he could not even function enough to parent. He would never help with homework or even check a report card. Life would consist of me staying in my room all day and not communicating with my father. This caused a downward spiral for me and he did not even realize. I was a young teen sneaking out and skipping school while not even getting caught because of his lack of parenting.

When it was time to graduate, it barely happened, but I did it, and on my own. I had hopes and goals of one day feeling free of the what ifs and what to do next. The road to college was confusing because I felt there was no particular talent or skill I possessed.  Everyone around me had successful careers as lawyers, business owners, and doctors while I was at a standstill. Eventually I obtained a degree for business management and human resources. I was left with student loans I knew I could not afford and a job at a restaurant serving tables. I was making more money as a waitress than at an entry level job in my field. The fact I was not putting this expensive degree to use was wearing on me. It felt like such a waste of time and money.

Then one day, my life took a turn for the best. I have always heard, it is important to gain connections and I gained one at the most random place. This connection I met was and still is a successful business owner that was looking for a general manager at his new store. I met him at the dog park while walking my Chihuahua, Egypt. His Labrador, Whistle, was the wildest dog there.

We chatted about our dogs, life, and weather. His stories of success gave me motivation and a new kind of hope. The empathy he showed towards my situation brought up the job offer and I started 5 days later. He told me he was losing faith because he was looking for a general manager for weeks and had several no shows. This was a case of the right place, right time for both of us. It gave me the feeling that this random stranger is now my hero. He had become my hero with the blink of an eye. No one has ever cared this much to help me. In the eyes of my parents, I was a loser that would never succeed. Thanks to my hero, their thoughts of me just gave me more motivation. 

 I often think, how would my life be now if I never decided to go to the dog park that day? What if Whistle was not drawing attention to him which caused us to start talking? There were so many questions flowing through my brain, but they were questions that did not cause stress. I finally did not feel stuck anymore. The opinions of my parents, I threw out the window. I refused to let the opinions hold me down any longer.

    Currently, I am still working with my hero and plan to grow even higher on the ladder. Each employee made a goal chart and we marked our progress as time went on. This idea was small, but made such an impact. It is not often that a person is happy to go to work. In my past jobs, it was always so dreadful to clock in. Not only is he a mentor, he provides a place of employment where one can strive and achieve their goals. This job has allowed me to achieve several personal goals that I was reaching for in the past. 

My stress is gone and the hopes are the highest they have ever been. It feels so good to finally say, "I'm free!". I am now free of the negative thoughts of failing and they are now replaced with the reality of success. There are no more dead ends, just an open path with so many roads to turn on.

Being free has allowed me to focus on my main goal to open a youth center for teens. I want to lead them down a path of success and show them they are valuable. Many teens can find themselves down the path of destruction with nowhere to turn. When my youth center comes to light, I want it to be the place they can turn to. If I can bring  the right love and guidance to help them succeed, then my purpose is met. The experiences I faced in life all happened for a reason to bring me to where I am today. Without the hero I met, my path would have been bumpy for a longer distance. Instead, I was given a chance to obtain the freedom I was so longing for.