Tina liked the nightlife. The dancing. The clubs. The glamour. The exciting people of the big city. 

When she came home late at night there were dishes in the sink, piles of clothes on the floor and things that still needed to be done. She felt alone, lonely, and depressed. 

She met Shelley in the laundry room downstairs. They became friends. They talked about everything together. What they mostly talked about was how miserable they both were. 

One day, Tina heard from a neighbor that Shelley had been hospitalized after a suicide attempt. Tina went to visit her in the hospital. Shelley looked awful. She told Tina why she wanted to die. Tina understood her friend's desperation only too well. 

Shelley lost her apartment while in the hospital and Tina did not see her for over a year. They ran into each other in a supermarket parking lot. Shelley looked so good that Tina did not recognize her at first. She seemed to have a glow about her. 

Tina asked "Shelley, you look so great. What are you doing? Exercise? Are you in love? Are you on drugs?" 

Shelley could not explain in the parking lot, so she gave Tina her new phone number and said: "Call me." 

After Tina put the groceries away at home, she called Shelley. She said: "If you are doing drugs, I want some." 

Shelley invited Tina over to her new apartment. 

When Shelley opened the door she looked even more radiant than she did in the parking lot. Tina was blown away. She said: "Whatever it is that you're doing, I want to do it too!" 

Shelley explained that the only thing that she was doing differently was that she was now chanting Nam myoho-renge-kyo. In fact, she had just finished chanting. 

Within moments they were both chanting Nam myoho-renge-kyo together. 

Tina is now one of my SGI Region leaders. She glows.