Life is still beautiful

Natalie

'We will be introducing ourselves first,'The therapist says and smiles.She's an elderly woman with glasses and a sweet smile.'I am Dr.Teresa Myers,and I will be conducting the sessions.'

As I look at the other people who are here,their faces show the same thing that I am feeling.Will this work?Will this really help? They also seem to be like me,coming here because it was surprisingly affordable.But even if it doesn't work out,at least we won't lose anything.

We are seated in chairs in a circle,and Dr.Teresa is seated in the centre.She turns and addresses a nervous man across from me.'How about you?'She says kindly.

'M-me?'The look in his eyes is like that of a frightened animal.

'Yes,'She nods.

He says nervously,'My name is Mark.'

'How old are you,Mark?'

'....Twenty-two.'

Twenty-two.That's one year younger than me.

'Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?'

But he seems pale.She stares at him for a moment before speaking again.'Thank you,Mark.'She turns to the woman in his left.The woman looks tired,as if she has a lot on her shoulders.

The woman takes a deep breath before speaking.'Eve Peters,34 years old.'

'Eve,can you tell us about yourself?'

'I am a housewife and I have two children,'Her expression softens as she mentions her children.

In this way,everyone introduces themselves,and finally it's  my turn.

I can feel all eyes on me as I speak.

'I'm Natalie Sanders.I'm twenty-three years old.'

Dr.Teresa looks at me expectantly.'What can you tell us about yourself?'

I bite my lip.'Actually,there isn't anything in particular.'I wish I could do a better job at introducing myself,but it's true.There isn't anything special about me.

She nods.Then she straightens in her seat.

'Now that everyone has introduced themselves,let's start today's session.'

                                                                     ************************

As I enter my apartment and close the door behind me,I let out a sigh.

Today's session wasn't anything serious.Mostly,the doctor only talked about what to expect from these group therapy sessions and how we should not feel embarrassed about our struggles.

'Every people have their own circumstances and difficulties.Although participating in these sessions will not make your problems go away like magic,maybe you could re-evaluate everything and find the strength to face your problems,'She had said.

She had said a lot of things which made me feel better,but as I was coming back,those positive feelings evaporated quickly,once again making me feel hollow inside,as if there was an abyss inside of me.

I shook my head to get rid of such depressing thoughts.

It was still too early .I could only tell if this working  after a little more time passed.