Jim's Cafe - Friday, August 1, 2025

Hello SF family I hope this finds you well. Here is an interesting question for you!

Which of your mentors had the biggest effect on you growing up and why?

Hey Angie, thanks for posting a cafe for today, interesting question.

Haven’t really had any mentors or even much guidance in my life for the most part, other than various counsellors throughout my life. I haven’t really gotten the impression that they’ve understood me or cared much about me.

Anyway, I think I would pick my uncle for who has had the biggest impact on me overall. Lots of highly evolved and intelligent ways of thinking that he had I deeply admired and have always done my best to emulate as best I can. He was so different from most people I’ve ever met, definitely a very intelligent, thoughtful, interesting and unique person in this world

Some tags: @Witty_Sarcasm @KM76710 @Kiwi2016 @Lisa the Goatgirl @FFurry @Inastorm @puffymilk @Baywasp

I can't say I ever really had any mentors. My parents were great, but aside from them there was no adult who took an interest in coaching me and honing my skills. My biggest influence was the books I read.

Never really had a mentor.

Thanks for opening @Angie and thanks for the tag @JMG.

Wishing one and all a great Friday/weekend depending on your time zone

Interesting question. I guess I never really had a mentor per se...but did admire a great aunt for her independent spirit growing up. Throughout my career I was fortunate for the most part to have colleagues/bosses who provided guidance/advice/encouragement so I guess that would count as mentoring as well.

tagging @Bergerac @Shadowlands @seabird @nobodyknows71 @Butterfly @Innocent Forever @Witty_Sarcasm

My maternal grandparents by far. I like how they taught me so many older skills from their generation and around those times. Stick me in a log cabin with bare essentials and I could be Uncle Jed, or probably more like Jethro and not suffer. LOL Woodcraft and knowing my way around out in the woods is a favorite, how to get by off in forests or plains and how to make it and have fun with it. I wish I was still young enough and not as lazy but it is still fun to do.

☕️🌻 Hi café and thank you Angie and @Kiwi2016

Sorry, can't answer this query because I didn't have a mentor. I knew of the concept due to reading about them. My parents sent me away to school when things got troublesome, and then I ran away which is a different story.

I hope everyone is doing well, or managing to hold on to a peaceful frame of mind as much as possible. (h) to whoever needs or wants them.

I'll have to join the no-mentors club, at least while growing up... but my graduate school advisor had the biggest effect, since I wouldn't have graduated otherwise with a degree 🙏

Thanks for opening the cafe @Angie and tagging me @JMG

Can't say I ever had a mentor, but my dad had some influence on me. We never got on when him and my mother were together. When they broke up when I was 16, I went to live with my dad and we got on pretty well. It was a contract, as prior to this I didnt really like him.

Which of your mentors had the biggest effect on you growing up and why?

My mom made me fear every type of intimacy in my life.

My dad taught me to never use hard drugs in my life (will I learn the lesson?)

Except that I can't think of any huge mentor. My uncle made me buy my first cd back in 2005 (It was Master of Puppets - Metallica).