Keep on Smiling

I know I'm supposed to be studying for my MCAT but this story was too touching to not tell.

I came back from drinks last night and walked into my building, smiling and saying good evening to the security guard as usual. He responded but also asked me to come over to his desk. I walked over and we started to talk. Little did I know I was about to have a life changing discussion.

He told me "You always greet me and say hello with the most beautiful smile, it can't help but put me in a good mood. Your happiness is very contagious. I can never tell if you're in a bad mood because even if you are you always smile and greet me the same. I wanted to tell you I really appreciate that."

I was a little shocked because I didn't think it was noticeable but I proceeded to say thank you. He then told me that a little over 2 years ago he was paralyzed and was unable to walk or eat. It was nothing of his own doing, when he was at the hospital he was mistaken for another patient and they gave him a shot which ended up paralyzing him. He had to learn to walk and talk all over again. It ended up stopping him from continuing his dream of 30 years of being a hairdresser. Again, I was shocked since if you were to look at him you would never guess that he was paralyzed.

The only way he got through that traumatizing time was being positive. He told me that I remind him of the positivity he tries to incorporate into his life. I was still standing there in disbelief since this was a lot of information to take in. He continued talking.

"I started off going to Purdue for university but because of personal problems I wasn't able to continue. I then fell in love with hairdressing. I opened up two salons and made a pretty good living. I was bringing in 7000-10,000 a week, " Wasn't too sure how I was still standing at this point. "I was really good at it. People would fly me all over the world to do hair for business meetings and movies. I've been everywhere, Asia, Europe you name it. I'm good friends with many different celebrities, we would all party together and get so drunk I wouldn't even know how I got home. But I would still open my salon at 8 am even if I was out until 5."

He proceeded to show me pictures of all of his celebrity friends from all over the world. I would have never guessed my security guard was so well known and famous. It really hit home that you should never judge anyone based on their looks or the job they're holding. You NEVER know what they've been through to get where they are now. Not only do I feel like I've made a new friend but I am grateful that I have made an impact, though small, on this mans life.

No matter how horrible your day may seem someone else could be having a worse day. Keep a smile on your face and stay positive. Positive thinking goes a long way, I learnt that last night.

Hope you enjoyed my story,

Jen