Yes, I have been working ridiculous hours since October, but the time has not been spent without certain rewards. The best, what has really made this worthwhile is the cast of characters that have passed through my gates. Here are a couple of visitors from just the last week or so.
“My house is haunted.” She dropped that sentence apropos of nothing. There was neither a hint of irony nor humor. If I had said it, anywhere, I would have met a certain amount of derision, or worse. But a beautiful woman can earnestly say just about anything. Without missing a beat I asked, “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” She said that it was a problem at first, but that she’s OK with it now. When asked if she was planning to move, she said that she didn’t know…
He was the world’s least interesting man and he took what seemed to be three hours in my office to prove it.
Defiant, the woman sitting at the table had been engaged in a war that had lasted over four long years. And she had won. She wasn’t ready to declare victory. She was still prepared to fight. And that was all of the proof I needed. She was never really a victim, just someone who had been forced to overcome crippling personal and financial setbacks that might have defeated a weaker spirit. I needed her email password. She told me that it was F***You62. And I laughed.
I was visited by a queen in search of a king. Sure, there are people who say that they believe in the fairy tale, but how many of us will truly dedicate ourselves to achieving it? Sadly, not many. Too much work. Too much commitment. That was not the case with this woman. And no, she wasn’t in search of financial security. She was climbing Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and was shocked to learn, again and again, that she was alone. She wanted completeness, the whole package. They, ex-lovers and an ex-spouse, were revealed to have only wanted the company of a pretty girl.
I learned the strength and resilience of the human spirit from these clients and others over the last few months. I saw that nothing, not ghosts, not bad employers, not even the death of a loved one can’t be overcome in time. And I learned to believe in fairy tales.