Open minds and new opportunities

It was just a chance encounter. I was doing what I do every Thursday at 6.45pm, getting changed for a run in my local leisure centre when there was a lady with the most beautiful long dark hair. I just took a quick glimpse and realised that her hair was different to most you see every day, it was clearly belonging to a lady from another country. I was immediately intrigued and curious about her story. In the past I would just have got my head down and carried on with what I was doing but a wave of braveness and the idea of an opportunity to talk about something different lit up in my head, so I just asked her where she was from. This may sound like this is an obvious thing to do but for some reason it is not often what people do in England as people can be quite private.
From this little encounter we chatted for a good time and shared stories about Pakistan and Iran, particularly the tough times she had experienced. She was clearly a lady who was so open about her life and I felt honoured to have that little moment where I could just listen.
After reading some of the articles on world pulse I felt more aware of some of the issues she shared with me, and I reassured her that there were other women out there from a range of different countries that would share her difficulties and perhaps help her through them. I told her about world pulse and she was excited to hear about it.
Who knows whether we will meet again...but it feels like even if we don't, she may find other ways to communicate with other women by following forums like this and that will help her to shape a better future for herself and her family.