Ten years ago, I was a social worker in Tennessee, doing crisis intervention work with delinquent kids and their families. I was hundreds of miles away from loved ones or anyone remotely close to me, I was lonely, struggling with coming out of the closet to my family, and my personal life was a general mess. One morning, I was at the courthouse for the hearing of one of the kids on my caseload, and in the middle of the crowded a lobby, an elderly gentleman stopped me and handed me a business card before continuing to pass through and exit the courthouse. The card was pink and had roses on it. On one side was a bible verse. On the other, it read:
You will never leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be.
I don't know who the man was or why he gave me that card. I've held onto it ever since, and as a matter of fact, it has a permanent place on my desk and is sitting here right in front of me. I've looked at it many times over the years and considered tossing it, but I knew that with my tendency to be an impulsive and leaping-without-looking kind of girl, I needed to hold onto it as a reminder, and it's served that very purpose. I've read it and have even repeated those words to myself out loud on numerous occasions.
You will never leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be...
Or where you belong... or don't belong...
Or where is healthiest for you...
Or where you can most respect yourself...
Or what you can live with and what you can't...
Or where you can call home and truly be happy...
Although I think I've done a lot of growing up and am finally at that place, I'll still hold onto that card, and I will never forget the face of the kindly old man who gave it to me, nor the tangible piece of wisdom he gifted me with a decade ago.
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