Meet Tommy, better known as “Smokey”.  I had the distinct privilege of meeting him while out on a photo shoot a few days ago.  On any given day he would go unnoticed by “Most People” in our society because he appears to have lost his status.  But as I’ve said before, I’m anything but “Most People”.

Smokey just-so-happened to be hanging out behind a dumpster in the alley behind a building in the downtown commercial district area of Bakersfield, CA where we were conducting our photo shoot.  I noticed him and called him over for a short chat and my photographer April Massirio snapped this photo to capture the moment. 

An outcast to most,  he quickly became a friend to me that day.  He shared a quick story with me of how he made it to Bakersfield and his continuous struggle to get back on his feet.  The main thing I noticed about Smokey during our conversation was his smile and his outgoing, energetic personality.  His ability to behave in such a manner in spite of his current situation and circumstance made me realize all over again how blessed and fortunate we are for both the little things and the not-so-little things we all have in our lives.  The real truth is, the biggest thing we have in life is “Life” itself, and that’s a great thing indeed.  

I invite you to take a short break today and take your focus off of those things you don’t have and refocus on those things that you do have.  Also realize that what you focus on most will develop in your life.

Smokey is in the “Struggle” phase of his life again and how he deals with it will dictate where he ends up and who he becomes in the process.  He made my day, so I returned the favor and made his day with a gift that made his smile even bigger.  “Thank You Cedric” he said.  “No, THANK YOU SMOKEY!”  I said.  We exchanged a few more parting words of thanks and encouragement and moved on with our lives.

I don’t know what the future holds for Smokey, but I do know who holds our future.  Our choices and decisions in these present moments will determine how that future pans out for us all.  So I say to you today, let’s all make a point to do something on a regular basis to make someone else’s day GREAT!  GO GET’EM SMOKEY!!!!!!

The Book:     “Make it GREAT”
www.MakeItGreatNOW.com