Why Wouldn’t I be Happy?
June 17th, 2010 by DreamsforKids | Filed under Tom Tuohy |Quincy lives in the Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education, (ICRE), a state facility for young people with physical and or developmental challenges. Quincy was born with cerebral palsy.
I love Quincy’s infectious enthusiasm and the way he just puts his head back and yells, “Yeah!” He doesn’t need a reason to do it, He just does it. He is happy. He loves life. He loves people. 
Kristen, one of our avid supporters and engaged volunteers, was making one of her frequent visits to ICRE and was chatting with Quincy. As they were chatting, Kristen asked Quincy why he was always so happy. Quincy thought for a minute and said, “Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
Recently Kristen told that she can’t imagine her life without ICRE. Like all others who are making a difference, Kristen just chose to show up one day. She took the effort to do something that mattered. Kristen found out what we all do when we give to others – it comes back to us in ways that enrich our lives beyond measure. The very act of giving returns to us rewards which elevate our lives and increase the joy in everything we do.
We all have a choice: To be unconditionally happy. Often we forget how. More importantly we lose sight of the way of being that brings us our greatest joy – being generous. We all have something to give. Life gets in the way sometimes. We are fooled into thinking we don’t have the time, we don’t have the money. We have too many responsibilities. We have to take care of ourselves. We have a family. We will do it later. Some day…
If we knew we were actually cheating ourselves. If we could be reminded that, right now, today, we have something to give, and there is someone we could help to enjoy a better day and the hope of a better life. It begins with saying Hi to the guy who parks our car, the lady standing next to us waiting for the bus, or the kid who looking at us, hoping we are the hero they dream about. It is the sum total of every conscious act of engagement and generosity that gives us the greatest joy in return. If we all knew this, that is what we would choose.
I wish everyone knew Quincy. They would know that he gets it. “Yeah”, Quincy, if we all realized how you looked at life and how we could too. If we knew we had something to give and we could give it to the world right now. If everyone realized they had that choice…
Why wouldn’t we all be happy?
DFK and Artists for Harmony (who introduced me to ICRE) are vehicles who, in large, take care of the ‘but how can I help’ question. And my hats off to you drivers! They create opportunities for all of us. They open doors to the very places and people who, most unsuspecting, contain secrets to true happiness. NPO’s like DFK’s help people realize the ‘power of one’. In my experience, reading books like ‘Good to Great’ is important – much like Snow White, some lessons never wrinkle with time. But it’s the ‘seeing’ that inspires, that has true impact.
Every other Saturday Artists for Harmony (artistsforharmony.org) visits ICRE. And in my short time joining, I’ve learned lessons that touch me daily. No doubt, these kids unlock life’s secrets. Just look at the smiles on their faces. They do not judge. (Well, one called me a ‘fool’ for cutting my hair.) They love unconditionally. They enjoy hugging. They are honest. (Again, the hair comment.) They shine with humility and they ask for help when they need it. They are not afraid to take a chance – to throw a ball with a crippled hand or recite ad-libbed poetry on cue. They exercise patience with themselves, their equipment, their friends. If only that patience could be bottled up and placed on crowded expressways.
But I’d say the greatest lesson, and one that I revert to when life seems overwhelming, is to appreciate what’s before you. I notice these kids do not complain – the human condition and one we’re all guilty of. They do not focus on the future or what is out of they’re control. They live in and for the present.
Tom, thanks for sharing Quincy’s story. Sometimes we need people like him to flick us on the foreheads. To remind us that ‘yeah, happiness’ is a choice. An outcome of how we choose to live our lives.