A man called Happy…
Life is about stories. Stories teach us lessons. Sometimes those lessons are about love and serving others. When we serve others, we get more back than we give. Thank you Maggie for sharing your story…
I went to Asheville, North Carolina for a Mizzou Alternative Break over Christmas break. I was helping out at an awesome no kill animal shelter with nine other people. On our one free day we went downtown to just look around and see what shops were open. We walked past a chalk board wall where you could write what you wanted to do before you die. So my friends and I went up to Happy who was the care taker of the wall. He was drawing a picture in chalk of an indian reserve. Happy was this older African American man who was handicapped and in a wheel chair. We asked him if we could borrow some chalk and he said, “of course!” He told us how he sits out there every day to make sure no one writes bad things and he protects his wall. He buys the chalk with his own money and donations every week, which adds up to hundreds of dollars. After donating, we all wrote what we wanted to do before we died. This ranged from hiking up the appalachian mountains, to loving yourself.
We then gave Happy his chalk back and had a conversation with him. He told us about how he was originally from New Orleans but came to Asheville because of this wall. He told us all about his life and how he works hard to provide for his wife. He gave us some life advice about how it may get hard but you always need to keep pushing. At the end of the conversation he told us to “look up and be happy” and I just lost it. I started bawling and I told him that my close friend who had passed away had said that. I even showed him the bracelet that I was wearing that had those exact words on them. He gave me a hug and looked me in the eyes and told me I had a good soul. But I knew he had an even better one, because in that moment I felt more close to Connor that I had in a long time. We talked a little more and after a while we said our goodbyes to Happy. Later that afternoon we walked by him again and I was afraid that he had already forgotten me. To my surprise he saw me again and pointed to me and said, “I love you” and I said “I love you too, Happy!” I will never forget this amazing experience with a man called Happy.
Maggie Perkins – Chosen to Shine – University of Missouri 2016
I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. Ecclesiastes 3:12
