a chance to mentor

i met a very interesting, cool young woman tonight. she is 18, wildly intelligent, creative, outgoing... she is also a high school dropout, and she claims to have multiple diagnoses, including possible schizophrenia. she is passionate about anime, and wants to learn to create it. when i met her, i was headed to a film screening, and i got there early. she was standing outside, dancing to either minute and barely visible earphones and music-pod, or just to the rhythm of her own happiness. i don't care which.

i have often thought that "illnesses" like schizophrenia and its ilk are nothing more than a complete lack of defenses, too tangible a connection to the rest of the world, and a difficulty distinguishing ones own imaginative perceptions of the world from the actual physical world.

while i hold this belief, and while i found her to be quite cool, when asked, i decided to give her my email address rather than a phone number. she was just so excited and visibly happy to be able to have an adult to listen to her that there was no way i could turn down at least limited communication. i remember all too well what it was like to be a young woman much like her, struggling with hypervigilance, hypersensitivity, constant misunderstandings of myself, underestimations of my character, and many other ignorant, potentially hurtful reactions. it would be quite a thing to be able to give forward to a troubled young person what was given to me by a few precious and patient adults when i was a kid. i have discovered in me, long ago now, that i am a gifted guide, that i do not get in the way, and that i have enough sensitivity and intuition to be able to really be of help. i have no contact info for her, and so the ball is entirely in her court.

she may not wish to reach any further, and that is certainly her prerogative. if she does, however, i will try to be there if i can be. it's kind of a privilege to be able to do so.