There is a woman who is 10 years older than me. She walked into my life when I was brand new at living life sober, and it was out-of-this-world luck that brought her to me. She had been sober about 12 or 13 years at the time and knew how hard it was going to be for me to do many things at the same time: get sober, come out of the closet, and well, those two things are enough. Many more things followed, but in the beginning, those were truly enormous. Looking back, I am still astonished I survived.
She is my mentor, and now she is my best friend. She no longer lives nearby, and in fact, she lives on the other side of the globe. We manage to chat daily.
She is brave beyond measure. She is smarter than I can begin to describe. In fact, Mensa failed to calculate her IQ, and they told her so. She is funnier than any comedian I have heard working today, and she used to earn a solid living doing stand up comedy.
She encourages my writing and is editing a book I’m working on presently. We are collaborating on a web business, and her genius and wit shine brightest when we’re cooking up a new scheme. She gives me great and enthusiastic help for my new job in mental health. She also applauds from afar for my many theatrical endeavors.
It’s my pleasure to call her mentor and friend.