I used to be a shy girl who sat in a corner wondering how to strike a conversation with a total stranger. First, I would assess the way he/she acted when surrounded by others just like me. Maybe, somewhere in the depths of their minds and hearts, they wondered the same thing as I did. It took me years to realize that a conversation would start just by simply introducing myself and hoping that my presentation would be so amazing that the other person found me interesting enough to want to know more.
Everything changed the day I attended a workshop where people attracted by the vast world of words started their day with a huge smile stretched over their faces. I smiled back to them and asked a few about their work. Then, out of respect and because I wanted to build rapport, I listened intently, asked questions and nodded, and secretly hoped they would also be interested in my work.
I met a man— tall, skinny, white hair, and soft voice—, who told me that a few years back he had battled leukemia, which he went through chemotherapy and came out victorious. He also said that he loved working in a library and that if I had a dream, I should follow it, regardless how many obstacles I would encounter in my way or how many people would tell me that I wouldn’t be able to make it. With perseverance, I would be able to overcome all of them, one by one, because some doors would open to me when I would least expect. I loved listening to his warm voice. I had noticed the slight tremor in his hands and that he had a worn briefcase on his knees. He said that his passion was history, and he planned to write about the historical monuments around Tennessee. But, he also told me that I shouldn’t be afraid of failing because it would be part of my development. Then, he told me the story of a woman who had lost her husband in a terrible accident, and she was forced to tend to their three children all by herself. She had a dream, and she never stopped believing that one day hers would come true. She wrote a book and she had incredible success because of her literary agent’s support and her appearance on Oprah’s show. She turned a fate worse than death in her favor.
The second person I talked to was a middle-aged Asian woman whose hair was tinted with gray, with brown eyes and yellowish skin. She said she was born in Bangladesh, and her family married her when she was nineteen. It took her five years to develop some feelings for her husband, and they finally had a daughter. He died in a car accident, and years later, she had discovered what love was when she met her second husband. She started her career from nothing, and today she worked as a Doctor in Health and Nutrition in Atlanta, Georgia, and she taught in universities about the importance of the food we all eat. I was inspired by her story and recognized myself in her struggle to build a better life for herself and her family.
At that moment, I realized that life was about making the right choices, meeting the right people, and being able to surround myself with beautiful dreams and striving to make them come true.
Carmen Monica Oprea 