Today is Monday, October 23rd, 2017, and surprisingly I woke up on the right side of the bed. I got up, made my way to the bathroom, and stared in the mirror for a good 2 minutes before wiping some crust out my eyes. I went through my morning routine; showered, brushed my teeth, and rinsed with mouthwash before popping in my Invisalign trays. I got dressed quickly since I was running late for an 8:30 meeting at work. I picked up my lunch from the kitchen, freshly packed from the night before. As I made my way downstairs and towards the main entrance, Mrs. Davis* was coming in from her night shift at St. Providence Hospital. Mrs. Davis is my neighbor that I speak to occasionally about the public school system and how it affects the growth of Black youth. I greeted her as I reached for the door. “Good morning Bacardi,” she softly responded.

Mrs. Davis is usually always in a good mood and so I was alarmed, I asked if she was okay. “I am tired Bacardi, I don’t think I can do this anymore,” she responded. I was taken back by her response because Mrs. Davis had become a motivational source for me to stay focused and keep the end goal in mind.

Mrs. Davis’ husband passed away 2 years ago, leaving behind their 2 teenage sons and 6-year-old daughter. Mrs. Davis had been working 2 jobs ever since to keep the family afloat financially. She worked the night shift at the hospital as a nurse and a sales clerk at a local grocery store during the day. She worked hard for her kids’ future; fighting to make sure their college funds were taken care of. Watching her for the past 6 months come in early in the morning and leave at noon for another job motivated me to stay focused and understand the sacrifices that are often needed. I admired her courage, perseverance, and dedication to her kid's success. I frequently reminded myself of her situation anytime I thought about giving up when things got tough.

After hearing her say that, I quickly set my lunch bag on the floor and hugged her. At first, all I said was that it will be alright and she’s got this which, in my opinion, did not sound very supportive. However, diving deeper into my thoughts, I began telling her about my admiration for her courage, perseverance, and dedication. Reminding her of her kids and why she’s doing all this. I told her that I watch her closely and aspire to have the same courage, perseverance, and dedication to follow and carry out my own dreams. Her mouth opened with a small gasp in total surprise to hear those words from someone that she had only a few conversations with.

She took a few seconds to gather her thoughts and began telling me about how she planned to quit her second job later that day. She felt unappreciated and was beginning to doubt herself. She thanked me.

“For some reason, people like to admire others from far and never let them know how they feel. What we forget is that we’re all human, and from time to time it’s nice to hear someone say they appreciate you and admire some of your qualities” she stated.

We hugged again, both taken back by the experience. She told me to get going and I slowly picked up my lunch bag, making my way out the door. As I walked towards my car I couldn’t help but think about her words and how I am guilty of doing exactly what she said.

I urge anyone reading this post to take some time and reach out to the people in your life that you admire for things they’ve done or are doing. Let them know how you feel. If you don’t have anyone in your life that fits such a description, look to the people who’ve done right by you and thank them because as Mrs. Davis put it from time to time it’s nice to hear someone say they appreciate you and admire some of your qualities.