Blue Eyes

The girl sat next to me watching MTV. We had a few conversations in the past few days, but nothing of real substance. She was 14 years old and sitting on a couch with a middle aged man in a homeless shelter. She turned to me, her large blue eyes focused on my every word. “I think about my mom often these days.” She said with a little hitch in her voice. We talked for a few hours while music videos played in the background. A thought hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was only a few years into my Bachelor’s degree in Human Services and still learning how to be an effective counselor. I had been hired to work at a homeless shelter for teens in Bangor Maine. The job was, as my director described, like flying an airplane. Hours of endless boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror. This moment was neither boring nor terrifying. Now, back to that moment of enlightenment.

As she talked I realized that this moment, this very moment would possibly be carried with her for her entire life. It all depended on how much attention I paid to her, to her words and to what I witnessed behind her eyes. I was once told by a very wise older friend that we have one moment in each day where we can change the world. I had thought of this statement for quite a while before its simplicity was revealed.

One moment of conversation, one simple smile or hello may offer a moment of brightness to someone’s day. That could possibly be sent forward to another person and a snowball effect may ensue. The best part of this is it is free. The conversation we had was deep and moving. She had tears while talking about why she ended up sitting next to me. I offered words of hope and encouragement and learned a lot about whom this young girl was and what she hoped to be. It is one of the conversations that I will never forget.