November 8, 2007

• thank you note to my mentor(s)

  over the years, i've been very blessed by who's came and gone in my life.  it was just that these past two years, it was an easy trap to fall into by focusing on those who are gone instead of focusing on what they contributed to my life.  i look back at some of the darkest moments in my life and wondered why or how i was able to get through them and almost every time there was someone there or something someone taught me, or both. 

  so in response to a book i read by anna deavere smith, Letters to a Young Artist i'd like to take the time to respond on a personal level.  who was i able to fall on during times whenever my so-called family wasn't available?  i had mentors, friends, advisors, teachers, and members of pseudo family.  most importantly, for those of you who don't believe in god or any sort of god, i can't help but refer to God my gratitude for putting people in my life whom contributed to my existence.  when i look back and reflect on those who crossed my path during crucial times, i can't help but conclude that it WAS indeed a "GOD thang," basically cause there's no any other explanation, and it's too much of a coinkydink otherwise. 

  as i was reading Letters, i was reflecting on how anna smith or "ads" was pouring out her heart in writing her book in order to mentor aspiring artists such as myself though she never met me or a lot of the readers of her book.  yet, she took the time out of her busy schedule to do so.  but what exactly does she get in return for doing so?  then again, for those of us who mentor others, what was the gain?  yes, there's a sense of priceless satisfaction whenever those we touched upon thrive and excel, but there are times when we're not often available to witness such milestones. what then? 

  have you ever read a book, and in the introduction of the book, there's normally a section where the author makes a list of those who helped contribute?  or do we tend to skim through that section because we want to get into the "meats n potatoes" of the book?  so since the month of november is considered to be "gratitude month" for those in recovery and in other spiritual programs, my xanga entries for the month of november will be different "thank you" letters to those who mentored me over the years. 

  so first things first: how do we define "mentor?"  according to the Mariam Webster, it is defined as "trusted counselor or guide; tutor, coach."  i'd like to define it as one who contributed to the growth and/or success of another person by not only what they taught, but what they do.  in a lot of cases, people whom i refer to as mentors weren't teachers or coaches per se, but they might've said something to me or did something for me, or did something that i observed that had a major impact on me.  in most cases, they contributed to an attitude adjustment that saved me from self-destructive behavior.  or they inspired me to thrive and take a passion that i had to the next level.  i guess what i'm saying is that in a nutshell, i define mentor  as one who became a source of inspiration in one way or another. 

  with that said, expect to see different letters for the remainder of the month to "mf" (no, it does NOT mean "mutherf*kr)  it's two folded: male/female, and mentor/friend.  with that clarification, enjoy the letters, and please, if you read any of them and feel compelled to write someone a letter of thanks, do so, cause if there is one thing i learned during these past two years, it's that life is too short.

  • 2:29 am
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