Last night, I got a request to pick someone up from the area at the foot of the Griffith Observatory. When I arrived it was very dark and on the corner, stood a small-framed young woman who was waiting for me. When she got into the car, I realized that she did not speak any English, only Japanese. I proceeded to take her to her requested destination at The Griffith Observatory, but was not allowed to go up the hill because the observatory was closed.
I tried to tell her that I could not take her where she wanted, but I could take her somewhere else. She could not understand me. At that moment, I remembered that Google has a Google translator so I said what I wanted to tell her into Google translator and handed her my phone. She understood me then and she smiled. She updated the destination on her phone to her home address and pointed at her phone and said, “My house.” I put on 94.7 FM for some soothing music and we began our journey to her house. I smiled at her in the rearview to let her know that everything was okay. When we arrived at her home, she gave me her phone and when I looked at it, it said, “Thank you for bringing me to my home. I am glad you came.” I was almost moved to tears, but I did not want to frighten her so I smiled the biggest smile I had and said “You’re welcome.” As she closed the door, she waved at me, bowed and smiled.
This proves to me that any obstacle can be overcome. The problems that we are facing as a nation and even as individuals are not unsolvable. We have to be compassionate and we have to care like it matters because it does. Thank you for reading my story. Have a great day! #uplifting #stories #tapintothepossibilities #thewave #google
An overwhelming desire for some french fries dominated my thoughts and pushed its way up to the top of my to-do list. Luckily, I was not far from a McDonalds that I knew had extremely tasty french fries so I drove in. The anticipation of blowing on a long, perfectly shaped fry before I popped it into my mouth was on replay in my head.. I got my order and drove through the small lot looking for a place to devour my bag of goodies. Ah-ha, I spotted a place in the shade and drove toward it. As I gocloser I saw a shopping cart that I thought was blocking the space. the relief was short lived hen I saw that it wasn;t because then i noticed a man standing to the side of it. His image had been blocked by the parked car beside the open space. i reached into my bag and pulled out a french fry. it did not disappoint as my mouth watered at the taste of perfectly salted potato. I pressed the brake when I saw the homeless man. His cart was probably shiny and silver at one time, but now it had a dull gray tone to it which at certain spots yielded to burgundy spots of jagged rust. His looked like a gray ghost with clothes that had changed from white to gray as they carried the dirt of his struggles in their fabric. His hair was gray not only from dust, but from living a hard life of many years, yet his eyes still kept their hue as he looked at me and smiled. Aw, man, I can’t sit ib frint if him and eat.” I thought. “I have to move to another space so I can eat in peace.”
I drove about six feet when I gave myself a conscious slp in the heart. “What is your problem, Teresa. Are you really going to go to another part of this lot and eat after what you have just seen?!? I dared myself to continue one more inch. the shame was almost too much to bear and I hung my head as I looked at the bag and sighed. I put the car in reverse and drove over to the spot. I asked the guy if he was hungry. He slowly got up and walked over to my car. “Yes, I am,” he replied. “You know, I really love this McDonald’s french fries, but I want to give you this food, I only ate one fry out of it.” He smiled at me and I gave him the bag and a soda. I then told him, “I am sorry that I almost pulled away. That was very selfish of me and I am ashamed that I did that.” What he said to me confirmed what I suspected, that compassion is a gift that can come from anyone. He said, “I knew you were going to come back, I could see it in your face and then when I saw your break lights come on, I knew you were just trying to work it out in your head.” That gave me a strange sense of relief like he had forgiven my hesitation and I promised him that I would not hesitate at the next opportunity to help someone. I drove back to the drive-thru and ordered again. On my way out of the drive-thru, I saw another man standing next to a worn down bicycle with clothes crumbled up on a make-shift rack which he had attached to the back of the bike. I looked up and said, “Really, God?!? I am not going to get to eat this bag of fries either? I guess I am going to circle the drive-thru all day.” I laughed and drove up to the man who smiled at me as if he knew what was going to happen. I tried not to sound hesitant as I asked him, “Are you hungry?” He said he was so I gave him the food and drove back around to the drive thru for a third time. By now I had to convince the guy at the window that I was giving the food away and not eating it. He laughed and swiped my debit card for a third time. I was sure I would get to eat some fries this time. I slowly drove around the corner after I got my bag of food and to my relief, the coast was clear. It was my turn to eat now. I drove to a space under the shade and looked around one more time before I began to eat, still looking around occasionally. That night when I got home, I checked my bank account online only to find that I was overdrawn by $38. There had not been any money in my account when I purchased the three meals. Sometimes things just work out better than they were supposed to and I remain grateful for that.
I picked up a family from Kingdom Hall. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I had a random thought, “I am so glad that I always answer the door when Jehovah’s Witnesses ring my doorbell really early in the morning.” I have to admit that I used to see them outside putting their visiting strategy together and I would hide inside my apartment so that I did not have to stand there, barely awake, and try to listen out of respect as they asked me questions. I finally began to think that it could not be easy to knock on so many closed doors so I decided to open my door when they rang my doorbell. The thought left my head as quickly as it had entered. Once I arrived, I watched as the young man struggled to put the car seat into the back seat of my car. I joked, “You should get a degree for figuring those things out. “ We both laughed as he added, “…or at least a certificate.” Once everyone was inside my car, I turned and I smiled at the little girl sitting in the back seat; she just stared at me, without the slightest hint of a smile. I kept smiling, turned around and started to drive. Her mother tried to explain that she needed a nap and was probably grumpy because it had been a long afternoon. All of a sudden, I heard a small voice from the back seat demand, “I want to hear some music!” Her mother hardly waited for the end of the young girl’s command before she said in a melodic tone that almost sounded like she was singing, “What did I say about how to ask for things nicely?” The little girl, as if she already knew she had used the wrong tone, quickly corrected herself and asked in a sweeter, softer tone, “I want to hear some music, please.” I reached for the radio and a slight panic smacked me as I realized that most of the songs on the radio are…well…shall we say…for grown-ups. I was truly under a great deal of self-imposed pressure at this moment. I chose a country station to which the little girl abruptly replied, “I don’t like that!” Her mother must have looked at her because she added in a low whisper, Thank you!” I then chose a jazz station and she quickly said with a tone that sounded like she had a pout on her face, “That’s scary!” We all chuckled softly as I turned to another station where the song’s intro was beautiful, but I knew it was getting ready to change into a “not suitable for children” song so I quickly changed it. The father said, “That sounded like a nice song!” to which I replied, “It starts out nice, but it does not stay that way” and I giggled under my breath. It became my personal mission to find some appropriate music for this adorable girl before we reached their destination. Finally, as we pulled up to their street, Whitney Houston’s voice came rushing out of my speakers like a melodic wind that filled the car “Oh, I wanna dance with somebody…” When I stopped, I turned around, crossed my fingers, and asked, “Do you like this song?” Without the slightest smile, she nodded her head up and down as she began to kick the back of the front seat to keep time with the music (yeah, she was kicking my brand new seats). I ignored her kicks because I was so ecstatic that I had found a song that she liked. Then I started to sing to her. That is when I saw the little corners of her mouth make a slight turn upward almost as if it was against her will. “A smile, I finally got a tiny smile” I thought as I kept singing. By this time, she was nodding her head and kicking her feet in time with the music. I felt like clapping…wait, I did clap as I kept singing to her. Her father gently lifted her out of the car seat, but she looked back at me the whole time. My mission was complete and I knew she would not soon forget that ride. Feeling overjoyed, I drove down the street rocking my head from side to side, bouncing in my seat and singing through a huge smile, “Oh, I wanna dance with somebody…with somebody who loves me….”
She hardly looked at me as she jumped into my car, slammed the door and said sharply, Go straight!” It took her one breath to tell me that as she kept talking on her phone. When I looked into the rear view mirror at her face, I instantly felt a sense of sadness. She was a beautiful girl, probably in her first year at UCLA. She had on brightly colored shorts and a summertime top with wavy blonde hair tossed carelessly over her shoulders. The weather was warm with a cool breeze and the campus was alive with people hurrying to get to their destinations.
I did not listen to her conversation, but the person on the other end of her conversation could not have been talking much as she rattled off a series of fast sentences drenched in a restrained panic. She paused long enough to bark another order, “Turn left here!” I continued to drive and I felt sorry for this young stranger. I wanted to tell her that it was going to be alright. I kept silent. The desire to tell her grew stronger and I dismissed it because she was on the phone talking, non-stop. When she released the call, I looked in the mirror at her face which looked like she had received the worst news. Her blue eyes probably sparkled when she smiled, but at this moment, they were sad…worried, and she looked out the window not seeing all the beauty that the day was dangling in front of her. Her voice softened as she said, “I am sorry, take a right here, please.” She must have suddenly become aware of the tone she was using to speak to me.
At the stop sign, I called her by name, “Amanda…” She did not hear me, too deep in the thoughts that had blinded her to her actions. She was on emotional auto-pilot. Again, I softly called her name, “Amanda…” When she looked at me, I looked her straight in her eyes and said, “It is going to be alright.” Our glance was constant as if, over her first response to doubt me, she was trying to see if I was telling the truth. I was not prepared for what happened next because her eyes instantly welled up with tears that rolled down her cheeks like they had been waiting for permission to fall. I clumsily grabbed a box of Kleenex from under my center dash and handed the box to her. She pulled several tissues out of the box and lowered her face into the soft pillow she had created in her hands. As soon as she dried her face, more tears fell and she told me that all of her classes had been dropped and she was devastated. It was her first year at UCLA and now she had to maneuver through life’s obstacles without the immediate cloak of directional protection from her mom and dad who usually stepped in to smooth things out for her.
She was going to the class to plead with the instructor to add her into the class. I told her that it was all going to work out for her, but that she had to believe that. I told her she was given this obstacle to make her stronger, even if it seemed unfair. “You will understand this challenge later, but for now. Go to the class and calmly talk to the professor. I graduated from here in 2012 and I can tell you that instructors add you when they say they are not adding anymore students and they make a way for you when you are sure they will not, but you have to ask them. If you have the time, splash some cold water on your face before you go to class. You are going to be fine, Amanda. Try not to worry too much.” She smiled at me and it was like the sun pushed past stormy clouds to change the look of the day. Her face changed, “Thank you so much, Teresa, you can just let me out at the corner,” she said in a tone that suggested she thought she had taken too much of my time. I smiled and took her right up to the building’s entrance. She thanked me again through a vulnerable smile as she hopped out of my car and ran up the stairs. I hope she remembers what I told her. She is going to be alright.
Sitting in AAA:
Me: “I am an Uber driver so I can only wait until 5:00.”
Man: “Aren’t you afraid of picking up someone strange?”
Me: “No. Before I go out, I pray for me, my passengers, my car, our journey, the other drivers and passengers, people I know and people I don’t know.”
Man: “What about the drivers who commit those crimes?”
Me: “They probably don’t pray before they go out.”
What was priceless was the smile on the face of another man nearby who overheard what I said.
I was standing in line chatting with the customers and humming along with Muzak. When I got up to the window, I heard a very tall and commanding man behind me say, “I thought I heard someone singing.” I turned to him and said with a big smile, “I was humming. You could hear me?” He shook his head in acknowledgement and asked me if I could sing as good as Howard Hewett, who was singing, “This Ring” over the sound system. I smiled at him and said, “Oh, I can sing!” He then said, if you can sing better than Howard, I will give you $20 (wait for it…). The teller was busy typing into the computer so I had time to have the conversation. The man then started to talk about the best fried chicken was…I interrupted and said, “Don’t try to change the subject, I was getting ready to sing.” The people in line laughed and waited for me to begin. I started to sing, “Who’s Loving You,” as I slowly walked toward him and reached for the $20 that he had peeled from a large wad of cash. The people in line were smiling and the tellers were smiling and the manager walked out to listen. The man gave me the $20 after I successfully hit the high note at the end of the song and said, “I bet she didn’t know that she would be getting this $20 at the credit union today.” To which I replied, “No, I didn’t, but I did know that I would receive a blessing today because God is good!”. Everyone looked happy even the people who were standing in line with serious faces before I sang. I walked out waving and said, “I’ll be here all week!” I could hear people laughing as I walked out. As I drove off, a lady was walking to her car and she gave me this huge smile and I smiled back. I have been a member of this credit union since 1981 and this is the first time I have sung in their lobby. Who knows, it might not be the last.
I had decided to go to the 6:00 a.m. service at Faithful Central Bible Church today, but when I woke up at 5:00 a.m., it was raining, cold and dark and I was still tired so I set my alarm clock for a later time so I could go to the 10:00 a.m. service. On my way to the church, I saw a guy running down La Brea Avenue with his hand in the air as if he was trying to hail a taxi. It was not a taxi, but the bus which moved away from him to the middle lane and kept on moving down the street. I felt that I should give him a ride and I was not worried about being late for church because of it. I turned around and pulled up on his side of the street. I asked him if he was trying to catch the bus and he said, “Yes.” I asked him if I could take him to his destination. He saw the Uber sticker in my window and said, “Are you Uber?” I told him that I was not working and could give him a ride without charging him. He smiled and got into my car. He asked me where I was going and I told him, “I am going to Faithful Central.” I then asked him where he was going and he replied, “The same place.” We both laughed and rode on down the street, talking and laughing. When we arrived, he pulled out $10 and before he could hand it to me, I said, “I can’t take that, just do something nice for someone else, that is how I do it.” He asked, “Is that what you want me to do?” and I said, “Yes, that is how I do it.” He said, “OK and I want you to take this money. That’s how I do it.” I chuckled and accepted his money. We were walking through the parking lot to the church when he stopped and said, “Oh no, I think I left my phone in your car and then he apologized profusely while we were walking back to the car. I kept telling him not to worry because I needed the exercise. We both laughed. He got his phone and we walked back and entered the church with the choir and congregation singing. As I went to my seat, I was grateful that I was in the right place at the right time. May that continue to happen. As for the $10, I am going to get ten single dollar bills and keep them in the door pocket so that when I drive pass people on the street who are asking for money, I don’t have to fumble around in my bag and miss the opportunity to give them their dollar.
When you know who you are and why you were put here on this earth, a source of inner peace takes over. You find happiness in the knowledge that you are here for a purpose and knowing what that purpose is makes you feel better about yourself and inspires you to believe in the phenomenal things you are capable of doing. You begin to believe in the impossible being elevated to the possible and you start to understand that a lot of what we can do lies in our ability to use our strengths and weaknesses as our paths to higher learning and valuable lessons. When we go through challenges, we learn that we should use our trials as a foundation for our triumphs and not let them become catalysts for our failure. When you truly understand who you are, there is power there and with personal power, you can do anything.
I had a very important meeting a few days ago and it went very well. On my way home, I stopped by my favorite chicken place to get some biscuits. Believe it or not, I don’t go for the chicken, but I love the biscuits. When I drove up to the window, I ordered my biscuits with an excitement that I could hardly obtain. Then, I stopped and had the feeling that I should order lunch. I didn’t really want to order from this place, but my stomach reminded me that I was indeed hungry so I ordered a shrimp lunch. When I got to the window, I asked the clerk what came with the meal and she said it came with a biscuit and fries. I didn’t really want the fries so I asked if I could substitute the fries with coleslaw. Her face told me that was going to be a problem so I smiled and said, “The fries are already done, huh? Ok, that’s alright.” She smiled at me and said, “Don’t worry, I will just give the coleslaw to you.” I thanked her and when she handed me the food, I said, “Have a blessed life!” and drove off as she stood at the window smiling.
I still had to get gas so I said lovingly to my car, “I am going to put some gas in you right now. Please don’t strand us.” I came to the next intersection with gas stations on three corners. I reluctantly chose the Shell station (nothing personal. Shell). When I drove up to my pump, I noticed a man asleep against the wall. He had a half bottle of orange juice next to him and crumbled trash bags surrounding him. I now understood why I had bought the food. I walked over to him and without waking him, I placed the food beside him and walked back to my car to continue pumping gas. I prayed to God to make his food invisible to everyone, but him. I did not want anyone to take it. As I pumped my gas, I smiled at the thought of him waking up to a hot meal and then I thought that I should wake him to make sure he knew he had food. I drove by and said, “Excuse me, sir.” He woke up and seemed a little disoriented. I smiled at him and said, “I bought some food for you.” I had to point to the food because he was still waking up. When he looked over to where I was pointing and saw the food, he smiled the most sincere smile and his face looked overjoyed. He immediately opened the box as I drove off around the back of the gas station. Then it hit me, I should give him the bottled water too…but my last two biscuits too?!? I was still hungry, but I drove back around and got out of my car and gave him the water and…yes, my last two precious biscuits (if you only knew…lol), He thanked God and so did I as I drove down La Brea smiling with my stomach growling.
T.A.P. into the Possibilities 