Mature like him and wise
I was privileged to be around a mountain of a man once. I was in training with the military. As a unit, we were to arrive shortly in Afghanistan. We had already left home and were at training camp. This man was at the Training Fort as well.
He was someone who was sensible, firm, kind, non-judgmental, without guile and calm. He was not at all petty or reactionary. He so struck me in contrasting form and function from some other leadership I had been faced with, that I was completely taken by him.
I had a crush. Now don’t go there. I was and still am a married woman. It was not the girlish enjoyment of a guy, but as a student to a sage would be. He did not out age me by much, but of military things and thus certain experiences in life, he did greatly.
He far outweighed my knowledge and experience at the time in more than just military matters. I determined at that time, to apprend from him all I could take in, as fast as possible, to be more like him. I couldn’t get enough time to be in his presence.
It occurred to me that the most high honor a person can attain, is that another is so positively taken back by the way he/she acts in life that, the person experiencing very much wishes to be more like the one being experienced.
The petty and excruciatingly childish remarks and requirements of a certain leader we were exposed to, were so difficult to bear in any way at all during part of our training. I had reactionarily caught hold of a manner of behaving equal to his condescending attitude.
I, likewise, could be completely insubordinate to him and yet he would not even know it had happened; other than a sense which I was sure he would have. I delighted in my immature tit for tat. Not only that, but in the manner I was going to be able to score one for the troops.
I talked of my intents and thoughts and plight of conscience to my newly minted mentor of my own proclamation. At the time though, I’m sure he did not know he was such to me. His simple and overwhelmingly deep thought out response was that I should be what I wanted to be.
I should have and do what I chose, not what fit the moment only nor fit the antics of a lessor. He suggested without critique, and without any gall or bitter taste. He expounded a simple course of action completely not in my wheelhouse.
My brain cells literally bent in half to perceive it. And funny enough, it felt totally fulfilling, besides being the high road and making me a good person to boot. And even after all of that, it might in turn also help this seemingly small soul to also achieve greater heights.
I decided right there and then of this would be mentor, I wanted to be mature like him and wise.