I knew when I first saw the sunflower yellow walls piled high with inspirational quotes that I would be rewarded. The office was not what I expected. Everything had a modern, yet zen-like feel to it. I wiped my palms on my jeans, inhaled, and awaited for the oncoming events. It was time to change.

Clientele in the waiting room sat nervously as anticipation sang through nonverbal cues. “Hi Rebecca! Choose any room you’d like and I’ll be back in just a bit” was my regular greeting.
Sitting on blue patterned couches, I couldn’t help but wonder who sat here before me. Were they better off now that they had help? The door clicked open. “Alright, I’m Dee. Let’s begin.”
Her upbeat voice shocked me. I was in there for a terrible reason. It wasn’t supposed to be fun. I was supposed to get in, get help, and be done with it. But that’s not at all what happened.

On the first day, I walked into Dee’s office; her brown eyes nurtured the neglect away. Her smile showcased compassion. With a genuine look, she was about to rearrange my thoughts on life.

We met on a weekly basis. Every visit became longer and longer because we would talk more in depth. My thoughts bellowed to the tip of her pen as it dragged across the page. She never thought of me as incompetent or incapable of anything. I was taught to fear my thoughts; but every time I talked to Dee, I was able to sing my heart’s song for the first time.  With each passing week, Dee helped me rediscover myself. It became the highlight of my week to converse with her about anything: casual or intense.

Month after month, the days got longer, a relationship magnetized closer, but an end was about to come. I had never felt better, and I had Dee to thank for that. She gave me a whole new perspective on who I was and what was best for me. She was a Lassie, pulling me, Timmy, out of an abyss of my own torture.

I knew when I last saw the sunflower yellow walls piled high with inspirational quotes that I was rewarded. I never got help in the way I expected, but I couldn’t have done it without Dee. She saved me from my own darkness and reminded me of who I always was. Because of Dee, I will never be ashamed of who I am again. She has taught me a life-changing lesson in life: be you and you are always beautiful, inside and out, no matter what they say. And that’s why she is the best educator I will ever have.