331 : And It Comes Full Circle

For the past year, there was one person that had been there for me more than just about anyone.  That person was my nanny.  She supported me in the beginning when my then husband first moved out.  She reminded me what a good job I was doing as a mother when I needed to hear it the most.  And she always went above and beyond to help me out any way possible.  She would bring milk to my house in the mornings if she noticed we were running low the day before.  Or she would do my laundry for me on occasion when she saw it piling up and knew my week was crazy.  It was genuine, reliable support.  I felt so thankful for her and all the stability she provided.  And then something horrible happened.  My nanny herself began to have some problems with her own marriage.  This was not something she shared immediately- she was focused and professional- but it finally reached a point when she opened up to me about her situation.  My heart broke in hearing this.  Here was someone who had been there for me in the most selfless and supportive way.  I wanted to do all I could to help her.  I tried to offer emotional support, but I also wanted to respect her privacy.  And so, after our initial conversation, I continued to ask how she was doing, but I was conscious not to pry too much.  But last week, something happened that left me no choice.  My nanny came in the morning as per usual, but when I looked at her, I saw a sadness in her eyes that was out of the ordinary.  I asked her if everything was okay and she immediately broke into sobs.  Her husband had not paid their rent…for 3 months…without her knowing…and she had now received an eviction notice.  She shook as she cried because she did not know what she was going to do to rectify the situation.  This was my chance to help pay her back for all she had done for me.  I grabbed a piece of paper and together we mapped out what was owed, what she had saved, a small amount I could loan her, and how we would roll the remaining balance into the rest of her rent payments until the lease was up.  I was strong for her in that moment just as she had been for me.  I helped her work through the numbers and came up with a reasonable action plan.  It was the very least I could do for her.  She called her landlord and suggested the plan, but they had already given up on the situation.  So I engaged one step further.  I called her landlord and spoke on my nanny's behalf.  This was not representative of the person I knew- this was a woman who had fallen victim to an unfortunate situation.  The landlord heard me.  And after some further thought, they agreed to drop the eviction charge and accept our offer.  It had come full circle.  I was finally able to support and give back to the one person who had been there for me in equal measure.  As I told my colleague this story, she implied that my connection to the universe was strong right then, and for once, I had to agree.