Gratefully mentoring

I've found mentoring to be very satisfying whenever I've discovered an opportunity to care for someone with a troubled mind. Relating one-on-one works for me in countless ways. I got to thinking about all the reasons mentoring seems so rewarding to me after a conversation last week with a life-long friend. Here's some of the advantages I experience:

• We learn from what just happened. Life is the topic of study. There is no content to be covered, other than what appears as immediately useful concepts to understand the recent incident.
• I learn more from mentoring because I'm being shown lots from what happens too. I did not see this coming or feel I had this figured out before it occurred. I get new questions and issues to ponder for myself, as well as opportunities to receive and respond to those I'm mentoring.
• Mentoring responds immediately to the lesson offered by life right now. The details are still fresh and the feelings remain raw. There is no loss that comes with time by defensive rationalizations, comforting denials or hasty generalizations.
• Mentoring offers my full attention because I have attention to spare. The occasional conversations provide me with plenty of "quality alone time" to replenish my "depleted attention economy" for the next go around.
• I invest more in my individual proteges than I can with a room full of students. I'm more successful at "teaching the student rather than the material". Whatever learning unfolds occurs within our relationship. We care for each other and reciprocate the favor of other's involvement.
• As I respond immediately, I experience how effective my intuition and creativity are. There's no time to think up elaborate schemes. What comes by inspiration serves the situation superbly. I reinforce this cognitive functionality and it gets easier as a result.
• Mentoring provides experiences of being "us", not "you vs. me". We are working on our deal inside our relationship, not working on "them" or "it". It creates wonderful feelings of belonging, serving, caring and reciprocating.

With so many ways to be endlessly grateful for the experiences, it's not surprising I've created so many opportunities to mentor throughout my life.