When I was 20, I visited a strip club with my then boyfriend. One: because I was curious to see what all the hoopla was about. Two: because back then I always wanted to prove that I wasn’t a “boring grandma” like people labeled me and that I could “let loose and have fun” with my peers.

As luck would have it, we arrived at the time when the DJ was temporarily unavailable, and the place was eerily quiet. One of the girls approached us to keep us company while we were waiting for the DJ.

As events often unfold with me in conversations with others….it didn’t take long before the girl trusted me enough to start opening up to me about some very deep topics in her personal life. By the end of the conversation, it was basically a session between a therapist and a patient.

She realized that 30 minutes have passed and said: “It was nice chatting with you! Do you guys want me to dance? The DJ is back.”

I chuckled and said “No, it’s alright.” We left and tipped her $10.

I’m glad I had that experience, because not only did it open my eyes to the humanity of adult entertainment workers…but it also reinforces my role in this lifetime as the teacher, the counselor, the guru, the hermit, the Dumbledore, the Yoda….the one who never draws the party animal out of anyone, but definitely the one everyone trusts in times of crisis. It’s a role that I tried to reject for so long but now fully embrace.

And no, I’m not supposed to have any peers. And I’m completely okay with that.