Friday, February 16, 2007
So what did I do for Valentine's Day?
Well, I was most definitely not on a date. Haven't had a date since last April, when things with the ex imploded. Typing that, I find it simultaneously hard to believe, and altogether pathetic, but there it is. The why and why not could probably consume an entire post, but I'll save it for another day.
While I wasn't out spending time with a future ex, I did have an appointment on my calendar. Wednesday night, I met my BBBS little brother. I was furnished with some of his basic information, i.e. name, age, interests, etc. prior to the meeting as part of the match process. Given his interests, and the BBBS coordinator's input, it sounded like we would be a good match, so she scheduled a meet-up at the little's home.
Things went pretty well, even if D was a little bit aloof at first. His mom, the coordinator, and I did most of the talking initially, while he pretended to be absorbed in a PSP game. Soon enough, he was getting involved in the conversation, and eventually everyone was getting to know each other. My initial impressions are that D is a good kid with the usual interests and distractions tugging at his awareness. He's into basketball, video games, music, etc. Little man looks old for his age, and mom let me know that older girls are already calling with regularity. With cellphone and internet access at his fingertips, D has no trouble keeping in touch. Luckily, mom seems to be very vigilant. Little man is going to be a lady killer and they paired him with someone who hasn't been on a date in nearly a year...irony. lol
We went to the local rec center and shot around for a while, and I made an effort to keep the conversation rolling. These first outings are all about establishing a dialog, so I did my best to keep asking questions. I'd say things went well and I look forward to hanging out with D in the future.
I will admit that it was a bit strange to meet people I had never met before with the express purpose of becoming a mentor. It's a new thing for me, but D has been in the program for a couple of years, so they were more familiar with how things would go. I hope that I made a good impression and that I can be a good influence, if nothing else. Should be an interesting experience. As always, I hope it's good times...
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What a great way to spend your Valentine's Day. This post made me cry. (I've been over-emotional lately especially after seeing Bridge to Terabithia)
Cut that out! There's no crying allowed on Erik's webspace! lol Don't give me too much credit, the BBBS match coordinator set the date. All I did was show up according to schedule. :)