All I wanted to do is go home and watch the finale of “The Big Bang Theory” while eating crumb cakes. I counted down the hours on the clock at work until 5:20 arrived; that’s when my mentee texted to ask where we should meet up for dinner. I chose a nearby Chinese Restaurant, hoping our meal would be over quickly enough for me to make it back to New Jersey to catch my show.

Minutes into our chat about her spring break trip to Ireland, our ancestry and her SAT and ACT performance, I forgot about the time and focused on being in the now.

An hour and a half later, as we rose to leave, my mentee slid a thank you card across the table. All of my questions about whether I’d given enough time or shared enough experiences with her faded when I read it. It said, in part, “I’m glad we were able to meet up a few times to see cool shows, eat good food and talk about life.” On the Garda were the hand drawn symbols for peace, happiness and love.

I missed my show but I gained a greater appreciation for how unselfish acts can help shape a new generation of people; how it can make them feel connected and accepted.

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