Jimmie

Mentoring Inside Out Graduate

The whole time I worked with Vic (MIO Mentor), we never missed a visit. We’d go get something to eat, and then we’d go to a park that has a lot of memories for me to have our MIO visits, and me and Vic would talk and laugh about life. We actually bonded over all types of music and we would joke how we both loved sad music, because the lyrics were so deep and spoke truth. It helped me clear my head, and feel like everything would get better. When I was going through a rough time, Vic and I talked about different outlets, and how to help cope. He said there was a book being written, and that I should submit some writing. It took a while for me to get into it, but then I was sending Vic poems at like, 11:30 at night. I would feel really bad when I was going to sleep, like my stomach was falling. It was weird, and I couldn’t sleep. I would just write a poem in 5 minutes, then fall asleep, and revise it when I woke up. Usually they’re based on an experience, or a feeling, or something happens, and all I can think about is how I would say it.

At first it was love poems, corny stuff. Then I started using song lyrics as the basis for a poem, or I would have a song in mind when I was writing. And it really solidified when I would read something I wrote, and it just gave me this feeling I can’t even describe. Like, there’s no other way you could achieve that; unless you were in this moment reading it at this time feeling this certain way. All the factors making me feel this certain emotion that had been so out of reach were right there.

I still can’t believe I’m going to be published in the book (Advice to Ninth Graders). Like, it doesn’t feel real, but I saw the draft and it’s amazing. They kept all my poems exactly how they were written, with all those same feelings. It’s really cool. Back when I first started working with Vic, I couldn’t see a future, I just felt like it was always going to be like this, and I just had to deal. Whenever I called him, he picked up and would ask me things like “if everything were perfect right now, what would it look like?” There are so many little moments with The Pathfinder Network where I changed over the littlest things. I’m glad I am who I am right now. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.