Opening Up to a Stranger

It had been a while since Bobbi and I had a date night away from home with the dogs and the TV. My wife’s friend, Angela McDonald, invited us to a nearby Mexican restaurant to hear her father’s country gospel band play. Though the food was delicious; the couple time was enchanting; I’d forgotten how loud live bands were.

Bobbi and Angela work close to each other in the same building. They have quickly become good friends. They keep each other accountable through whatever is going on in their other’s lives. Angela’s hair is jet black and spiky like an 80’s rock star. I think it is absolutely cool.

Fifteen years ago, Angela’s husband (a janitor) was involved in an affair with the boss of his cleaning company. For Angela, the divorce was painful. In addition to this, she’d suffered with numerous health issues since childhood.

Angela conversed at our table that spiritually she was just coming to a point where she was starting to give God all her joys and insecurities. Bobbi had given me only the smallest amount of background information on Angela.

With my wife present, I opened up and told a woman I’d met once (a stranger to me) struggles that I was having in both my personal and marital life. Something about Angela said “trust her.” For some reason, Angela sensed I was in emotional pain. (Once again, she was on the money. I would soon be hitting apathy level.)

Has a stranger ever come into your life that you were able to be totally honest with? How does it feel to unload all that stuff? Have you ever been this type of person for someone else? How does it feel to do that for someone? Though you can help others when you are in an emotionally fragile state yourself, think how much more of service you can be to others if you are mentally at a good place yourself? Get the help you need.