Most recently I talked to someone whom I never met, and she has become a very close friend. She reached out after reading one of my blog posts on a website about my OCD surrounding relationships, and I was thrilled. Someone else “cold-emails!” Phew! And cool because this time I was on the receiving end 🙂
What began as an email filled with words of hope and uncertainty potentially seeing if I might be willing to help her, snowballed into an enthusiastic response of personal welcome, a friendship, and a close mentorship.
I immediately felt excited that I could help someone else, and calmed by the idea that someone understood the depths of what this disorder can do to one’s spirit.
I was thrilled to pass on my knowledge and to share my experience; thrilled to help others learn from it, to be seen as a resource, but most importantly to pay it forward and prevent someone from enduring the hardships that I did.