The type of person I am

There are things people I don't know have said to me that I've almost immediately forgotten, but there are other things, said by people who know me, that I'll never forget. And it's not because they're good or bad, but because I hold onto them because those words act as a mirror, showing me how others see me, how they perceive me, how much they see that I don't.

I remember that before, at university, I had an office where students, more than seeking academic help or looking for a particular book, would just come to talk to me, to share their family and romantic problems, but also to share their joys or ask existential questions. There, spontaneously, students from all semesters would gather every day. Over cookies, coffee, and candy, I learned about their first relationships, their failed romances, their doubts about identity, as if I were the closest friend they could have or the town priest they could confess to.

I listened to them attentively, without prejudice, without complaint, without retaliation. If I had to offer my opinion, I did so if they asked me to, but otherwise, I simply remained silent and let that chest, heavy with feelings and words, unburden itself. No one can imagine the number of secrets I will take to my grave and the many times I had to be more than a teacher; I had to be a friend, a confidante, an accomplice, and even a mother—I, who never had a child of my own.

But just like those students, it has happened to me that I have sat next to a stranger and, out of the blue, they have told me their life story. I have been sitting in the park, for example, and a woman has sat next to me to tell me her sorrows, her doubts, how her family treats her. Of course, many times I have wondered: What is it about me that makes people open up, that makes them have the confidence to open their hearts and show me without shame what they carry inside?

I don't know what it is about me, but I do know what other people see in me. Some have told me that I inspire trust and respect; others have even said they know I'm not prejudiced, and that's why they confide in me. But what has always surprised me is that some people tell me they've never shared that secret before and don't know why they told me. For many, my mere presence gives them confidence, calm, the courage to express themselves, to be themselves. I give them a positive vibe that allows them to open up and speak frankly and openly with me.

I like to think that my spontaneity, my way of seeing the world, my spiritual strength, that magnetic energy that's sometimes invisible to the eye, makes me a refuge for some people. That there are things that disappear when I appear. It's a gift or a superpower that brings me great joy, but it's also a responsibility.

All images are from my personal gallery and the text was translated with Google

Thank you for your support, for reading, and for your comments, friends. Until next time