a huge impact on your life

Our writing prompt for Day 13 in the series is Someone that has made a huge impact on your life.

{I’m going to exclude the obvious – my mother,   my father,   my husband,  and my son – as those individuals are family and impact my life daily and have helped shape me into the woman I am today.}

If you’ve been following my blog,  you may recall that I lived in Florida for quite a long time before returning to New England.  During my time there,  I met many amazing people who continue to be a part of my life, and continue to influence me.   Here’s a quick back story:  My only employer in Florida was a big ol’ restaurant company {you probably know them for their delicious Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks lunch or maybe their delicious Fettucine Alfredo}  and I started working there as a server.   I worked hard,  followed the rules,  and had many amazing experiences there  {I was even featured in a few video segments on the company’s website!  Cool,  eh?}.   My hard work and dedication was rewarded with a position at the corporate office, and that is where my relationship with Daphne developed.    She was my manager.  {Note:  Daphne is not her real name.}

I’ve always been inspired by Daphne’s strength.   Over the years, she shared her personal stories of divorces, the death of a sibling, her son being incarcerated,  her daughter’s teen pregnancy, and a fall out with her parents over religious differences.   She’s endured more painful experiences and disappointment than I can imagine.   Yet she always found the strength to pick herself up,   even when she didn’t think that she could,  and move on.   Always with her head held high.

At the age of twenty-six,  I was in a very unhealthy relationship.   It was obvious {to everyone around me} that I was miserable.  I recall her saying to me one day  “You know you need to make a change when the pain of staying out weighs the pain of leaving.”    Light bulb moment!   You already know what is coming next…I broke up with this loser and moved on!    If it weren’t for Daphne,  I may have stayed with that loser.   And, I never would have met The Texan.   And I probably wouldn’t be a mom, either.

Daphne inspired me professionally as well.   Encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone,  always rooting for me.   Telling me that I could do anything I set my mind to.    She pushed me to give presentations for fairly large groups, even though I loathed public speaking.   She taught me to stand up for what I believed it.  It is wonderful to have someone in your corner cheering for you,  inspiring you to following your dreams – even when you don’t know what they are at the time.

Thanks, Daphne,  for all that you taught me!

Who has inspired you?   Link your post in the 30 days about me series here!    {I was a bit late publishing Day 12,  so if you’ve been following along and missed it, you can find it here.}