My Courageous Friend Jenn

Bonnie and I met a friend of hers named Jennifer, who lives with her young daughter Hope near Nanaimo, BC on Vancouver Island. She suggested we meet her boyfriend Gord and her at a place called the Crow and Gate, a world famous British style pub built in a backyard on a country road. The combination of an eclectic, unique and special venue, with Jennifer's sweet and loving persona created an opening for unforgettable conversation. Let me tell you a bit about her.
Jennifer fell in love with a Norwegian cruise ship captain, had a baby, moved to Norway and learned the language. She then enrolled him in moving back to Canada, and decided to become a High School Teacher, as these kids have so much going on in their lives, and they are quite often alienated and alone in their struggles. So she went back to school full-time while still being a mother and wife with a full course load, and received her Bachelor's degree very expeditiously. The demands must have been enormous mentally and physically to accomplish this, and she readily admits that the four ulcers in her stomach almost drove her to madness. This is after she sang and danced on the cruise ship several shows a week to the point of exhaustion. In fact, shortly after her final performance, she woke up in the hospital as a result of working herself to the point of literally passing out from the pain. So, the conversation quickly turned to a thought-provoking question: what does one human's ability to deal with pain mean to the overall quality of one's life?
Jennifer has been a person who has always gotten what she has wanted in life. Whatever she put her mind to, she achieved, regardless of whatever physical ailment has beseeched her. Imagine Barrack Obama's pain - a few hours of sleep between days of constant mental and physical requests from your country. The stamina must be enormous. Now, I'm not saying one's ability to deal with pain is the only thing going on here. One must have learned the valuable skills of how to deal with life itself, but I can't stop thinking about how that one puzzle piece can make a difference in breaking through challenges in life.
She told us a story of backpacking in Italy, alone and early 20 something. She was in a train car with no other occupants when a man came in, and violently slammed the door behind her. Her instinct told her something was wrong immediately. Sure enough, he sat down beside her and within moments began to unbutton her dress. Without panicking, she looked him in the eye and said sweetly, "I just need to go get something", and calmly walked away. Her ability to show no fear, and give the man the idea that he was accepted saved her liberty and possibly her life. As she exited the train car, she started screaming and sobbing uncontrollably, tried to explain to the Italian conductor what had happened. The man was gone by the time they returned.