What a Man in a Wheelchair Taught me About Happiness

I was going for a run in the neighborhood when I saw a man in a wheelchair, but in the middle of the street.

What the fuck?  I thought. That seems pretty dangerous. Is he okay?

We live in an area where there is a homeless population nearby, so I've seen some weird stuff, but this seemed a bit more concerning than usual. 

I started to slow down my running and looked over at him. He waved me to come over, and I quickly went to him.

As he started talking, I could barely understand him. Most of his words were mumbles, but I could make out "I'm so tired" as he pointed down the street.

"Oh yea, I can push you back home," I said, as I grabbed his wheelchair and started to push him towards a sidewalk. "Let's get you out of the street first."

While I pushed him, he continued to talk, but it was still quite hard to understand. After a while, I realized he was saying that he had had a stroke. That must have been why he was in a wheelchair, and why his speech was impaired.

Damn, that's tough, I thought.

"So do you have family that helps to take care of you?" I asked.

He shook his head. I heard "No" and then some more mumbles, but I stopped listening.

My heart sank when he shook his head.

Here was an old man who had experienced a stroke, is struggling with speech, is confined to a wheelchair, and doesn't even have family that cares for him?

It felt extremely sad, and I felt so bad for him. I can't imagine how hard of a life that must be.

He continued talking/mumbling, but all I could do was feel for this man's difficult life. The least I could do was to be with him in this moment, and-

"God is good," he said, as he continued to mumble.

Wait, what? I thought.

Some more mumbles, but he kept repeating himself. "God is good." It was so clear when he said those words.

I had to pause. I had been projecting myself into this man's situation. Taking a step back, I tried to see him in the moment, without my preconceived bias. Even though he had clearly experienced difficult things in life, he seemed... happy.

Whoa.

I pushed him to what ended up being not his home, but a church. A community center was there taking care of him, and they took him off my hands after I got him inside. (Although, maybe they could improve their processes a bit so that they don't lose him like that again haha.)

On my way back, I kept thinking about him. This man had very little functioning ability, and didn't even have family to take care of him, yet he had a positive outlook on life. He was super grateful for what he did have, and found joy in that. (He also thanked me and gave me fist bumps about 100 times on the way back to the church lol.)

Meanwhile, I get caught up wishing my life was better in some way, or comparing to the highlight reel illusions on social media. "If I could just achieve financial stability in entrepreneurship like that influencer, then I'll be okay."

All while forgetting that I have the ability to walk, talk, and do other basic functions to support myself. There are so many things that I forget about and take for granted.

This idea is not new to me, and it's probably something that you've heard before too:

One of the keys to happiness comes from gratitude, and not from having more things/achievements.

It comes more from your mindset than your circumstance.

However, ideas and words can only do so much. It is through stories that make it truly relatable and understandable by our emotional brains. And it takes repetition and constant remembering, to make it a lasting habit that impacts our lives.

So, I hope this story helps to remind you of what you might have been taking for granted. I hope it helps you to find gratitude for those things, and then ultimately, I hope it brings more happiness into your life.