Confidantes and Not Waiting

My wife and I have recently experienced situations where individuals, usually younger than us, have been confiding in us about matters related to life and relationships. Our story is one of long distance throughout the Pandemic, and by the grace of God, we got married. Now, people have been confiding in us with their own long-distance relationships or starting one. It is humbling to know that there are those that are asking me for advice. Admittedly, I never had “game” (or “rizz” as the young people call it now), but I did learn from others’ relationships and from my own mistakes. Having gone through the whole long-distance relationship, dealing with parents, travel, immigration and the like, I do have knowledge that I can pass on to others who are trying the same thing. Also, I have always wanted to be a mentor to others and wish that I had a mentor when I was younger.

For those who are trying the long-distance thing, that is an opportunity. When I was younger, I was not at all opportunistic. It took a while for me to wake up and actually start achieving things. I worked part-time for a while going to college, but once I finished college, I was still working part-time and living at my parent’s house. There wasn’t one thing that made me finally want to get out of my situation, but once I did, I got a full-time job and things just went up from there. I eventually became more opportunistic, but when I hear some younger people talk about what they want to do, a word that I hear from them is “wait.” In my opinion, the word “wait” should not be in someone’s vocabulary if they are trying to pursue new opportunities, whether that entails relationships, housing, employment, etc. The word that I would use is “initiative.”

Being a confidante and mentor to others is something that I have wanted for a while, and it is good that is now happening. I hope that more younger people take opportunities, take the initiative, and do not wait as I have done in the past.