Odessa Zara's

When you don’t like someone, everything they do starts rubbing you the wrong way. My significant other once told me that, and man, it hits home. Recently, someone I don’t really vibe with started crying, and I knew it, but I just didn’t want to care. Part of me, a tiny, petty voice, was like, “ Ugh, are you just looking for attention? ” Meanwhile, the peer counselor side of me jumped in and said, “ Seriously? You call yourself a peer counselor, but you can’t even be empathetic right now? ”  Cue the internal conflict. I’m supposed to be the peer counselor—basically a volunteer “angel” for people. But here I am, feeling more like I’ve got a devil on my shoulder. I just didn’t want to ask what was wrong. I didn’t want to listen if they reached out. They’re not my client; I’m not responsible for them. But is that evil , or is it just being human ? That’s the question bouncing around in my head. And then, because the universe has a wicked sense of humor, they reached out to me. I felt c...

I visited a colleague in the hospital today. She’s just a few years older than me—still young—but diagnosed with cancer. I can’t imagine how I’d feel in her place, like my world had fallen apart.  I went with an old friend, and we caught up, laughing both before and after the visit. But later, as I sat at my desk, I started to wonder: is it really okay to enjoy ourselves like that while my colleague is suffering? She smiled, sure, but there’s no way she’s truly "okay" with what she’s going through.  Of course, we didn’t laugh in front of her. After the visit, we still mentioned her now and then, sent our prayers her way, but we also got back to our own lives. Meanwhile, she’s left facing this unimaginable hardship—alone.  Is that unfair? Or is that just life? People can support you, but in the end, you face your struggles on your own. They can still laugh while you can’t even muster a smile. Here I am, working in a lively, vibrant office, while she’s likely lying in a h...