The story below is one I wrote days before the Inauguration was to take place. The energy and compassion I felt during this time was like none other I had ever experienced. It is not published on the values.com website here. I’ve pasted it below. I hope you enjoy.

So, I’m pretty sure we’re all familiar with public transportation, right? You get a cornucopia of diversity in an enclosed space for a short amount of time, yet long enough to form judgments about complete strangers.

I was on the public transportation in D.C., and I was living my own cornucopia of diversity. I had just completed some volunteer work, and I was incredible tired. I didn’t really want to be bothered with anyone, and I was rockin’ out to some tunes with my best friend whose name happens to be “iPod.”

To my left, there was a couple who appeared to be tourists. You know the type: generally smiling really big, taking pictures of random things a native wouldn’t normally find interesting, and just having a good time taking in their new surroundings. To my right and an aisle back, was a girl who was deeply intent in whatever book she was reading and didn’t seem to care what was going on around her. In the same row, different aisle, there sat an elderly woman simply looking into space looking rather pensive.

We’re all enjoying our ride in our own miniature microcosm of society when a blind gentleman enters the train… rather abrasively. He tapped people with his cane while grumbling, “Move out of the way! Move out of the way!” Even though I had my ear buds in rockin’ out with my friend, I managed to take notice that this man seemed like he could’ve been a little down on his luck. He wasn’t particularly too clean, and his overall demeanor exuded, “Don’t talk to me! I want to be alone!”

As the man tried to find his way to an open seat, I gently grabbed his arm and directed him to a seat close to me. He had a hands free headset which he used to attempt to contact the bus line to obtain information about a transfer. He yelled at the headset saying, “THAT’S NOT WHAT I WANT! I DIDN’T SAY THAT! UGH!” It was very apparent that he was disgruntled with the voice-automated system. Since he was yelling, I could hear where he needed to go pretty clearly. The people I mentioned before took notice to him and each had a look of fear on their faces… that’s the normal reaction, right?

I removed my “friend” from my ears and asked the gentleman if I could be of service to him. He quickly and sternly said, “No!” I replied, “I couldn’t help but overhearing you, but we’re going to the same location. Perhaps I can help you get to your final destination?” He then said, “This stupid thing doesn’t pay attention to what I’m telling it to do!” I replied, “Oh… the voice-automated system? Yeah, it can be a pain to deal with sometimes. I know exactly how you feel.” He calmly said, “You do?” By this time, the fear on people’s faces had turned to a look of confusion as if to say, “Why is he even talking to the crazy guy?! He must be equally as crazy!”

I continued to talk to the man, and during our dialogue, he drastically calmed down… to the point of almost a whisper. I found common ground with him and let him know that he’s not the only one who has had to deal with buggy technology. We continued to talk quietly and the fear turned confusion… now turned into smiles and looks of awe. I noticed that people’s eyes became bigger. They looked intent in my interaction with this man. It was like a story unfolding in front of their eyes. The girl who was reading so intently, looked up and smiled — even chuckled a bit. The couple… looked in amazement. The older woman looked at me… just staring.

As we approached our stop, I let the man know that we had arrived. I asked if he needed assistance getting off of the train, and he politely said, “Yes, please.” I grabbed his arm and guided him in the correct direction. Since he had tucked away his cane, I stood with him as he readied himself to use his cane, and what happened next shocked me. Remember the couple I mentioned? They stopped with us, and the woman gently grabbed the blind man’s other arm while her husband (or boyfriend) put both of his hands on the blind man’s shoulders to assist in guiding him. The four of us walked together in a little cluster, and I thought to myself, “Wow… what just happened?!” We guided him to the escalator where the blind man began to speak again and asked, “Where are y’all going?” We all responded and the woman, who was one step down and to the left, turned back and mouthed “wow” to me. She smiled, and I almost thought I’d see a tear.

As we approached the bottom of the escalator the couple went in their own direction, and I asked the blind man if I could be of more assistance to which he responded, “No. I’m okay. Thank you.” I went my separate way thinking about what happened on the train that caused everyone to go from fear to confusion to amazement. To this day, I still don’t get it, but whatever it was… it was truly powerful!

If this ever gets published somewhere, I’d like to thank the couple who took a risk to help me help the blind man. I didn’t say or show it then, but it speaks volumes about what human beings are capable of doing. Thank you for replenishing my hope in the world.

I posted the following on my main blog and thought I’d share here as well:

It’s funny… people oftentimes ask me, “Stephen, how are you so happy and optimisitic ALL the time?!” I’d respond, “I don’t know… I have times when I’m not happy, but I don’t dwell on them too much.” After giving some thought as to how I do it, I realized some a few things.

First, why would I not be happy?! I have friends and family who care for me, and I enjoy that I help others as much as possible. I have the necessities for survival, and quite honestly… I don’t think it takes all that much to maintain. I think it’s easy for us to foster a skewed image of what it is to truly be happy. We’ve become consumed with obtaining material possessions, but in reality, what do these possessions really do for us? To me, it’s the forging and fostering of relationships that provides me with the most meaning in my life.

I recently read a great post at CoolPeopleCare (www.coolpeoplecare.org). If you’re looking for ways to help others (read: maintain happiness), be sure to subscribe to the daily updates. One particular post was about thanking your teachers. I took action immediately after reading it, and I sent thank you emails to two of my teachers whom I feel have had the most impact on my life.

Mrs. Stidger and Ms. Clift (11th grade advanced English and 5th grade, respectively) have been the most amazing influences in my life. It’s been forever since I’ve seen either of them face-to-face, but I always value that I can email them whenever I please and get a thoughtful response in return. They’ve gone above and beyond the average teacher, and for that, they are to be commended. Mrs. Stidger taught me how to love poetry and to explore all possibilities. Ms. Clift taught me that learning new things can be fun… no matter how difficult it may be. It’s weird… both have commented on how they knew I’d end up being successful. I wonder how? Needless to say, saying thank you to them made me happy. Score two happy points for me.

As I write this entry, I am listening to Audio Adrenaline. For those of you that may not be familiar with this group, they’re Christian and pretty much amazing. The message of the Bible is presented in a way that anyone can understand. It takes me back to a time when I was in high school and looked forward to going to church. I was surrounded by people who had my best interests at heart, and it just felt good. I may be many years removed from high school, but it’s amazing how music has the ability to take you back to the happiest moments of our lives. Score another point for me.

Simply recalling times in our lives when we were the happiest proves to be quite powerful. If you’re struggling with maintaining your happiness, take a step back and think about the happiest moments in your life. The feelings you had back then can be replicated and help with the now. Give it a try. I dare you.

I have a new camera…

I’ve had this camera for about a month now, and in an effort to nurture my creative side (since I no longer play the bassoon), I thought photography would be a good choice!

I haven’t yet purchased any book on photography, but I did take a photojournalism course in college. I feel that professors should encourage their students. My photojournalism did not. As a matter of fact, he squashed my desire to learn how to take beautiful pictures. In one assignment, we had to photograph something that symbolized something “hot.” I chose to take a picture of a red hot eye on a stove. He did not like this.

During the critique, he said it made him think “red,” and not “hot.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but touching the eye of a stove would not make me think “hot.” I’d probably shout an explicative (or 2 or 3) and proceed to dunk my burnt hand into ice water (or the household cure butter?). Nonetheless, I didn’t understand how he could be so critical.

After discovering all this positivity in my life, I’ve been determined to prove people wrong. I had an English teacher in high school who was pretty sure that I sucked at writing. I could never seem to obtain anything higher than a C- on a paper, and needless to say… I was PISSED! I’ve had numerous people comment on my writing, and that’s all that matters. The past is the past and to her I say, “Thanks for the encouragement, meanie…”

It is my goal to share my photography and video on this website as I learn what the heck I’m doing. Feel free to offer suggestions as I know I will need them.

Love ya, mean it!

It’s my new mantra. I feel like too many people have a terrible outlook on life, but they aren’t doing anything to change it. 

You can’t help someone who won’t help themselves…

Unicorns eat glitter. Duh.

Assuming you survive after bursting from the excitement, the list of things you’d see is pretty out of control. What might you see or experience:

• Unicorns pooping rainbows and vomiting glitter
• Fanny packs making a comeback and being premiered during Fashion Week
• Dogs playing croquet while smoking cigars

And my most favorite…

• WORLD PEACE!

So what if I have an over-active imagination… it’s what makes me unique… it gives me pizzazz! All kidding aside, the past few days have been pretty amazing. Excluding the death of a relative, all the excitement I’ve experienced has been ridiculous!

I’ve managed to meet some cool new people, I forged new relationships with a few companies, and I’ve had a McGriddle at least 4 days this week! For most of you, the mere thought of having a McGriddle nearly every day of the week would give you the runs, but not me. My stomach is made of steel (and bile and other acidic fluids… like orange juice), I can throw back 5 beers in… well… I don’t know how long it’d take me to drink that many beers, but you get my drift.

I’ve got a birthday party for a friend this evening, but before that, I think I shall attend the welfare happy hour. What’s that you ask? $10 all-you-can-drink. Dangerous? Yes. Fun? Totally. Sober? Not so much.

Love ya, mean it!