Meet JOE

Some of these interactions rip me apart. But I love this photo because it’s the second one we took. We looked too down and dour in the first.

“Come on man,” I teased after looking at the first pic. “We gotta smile.”

I can't share much, but I can tell you that his name is Joe and we’ve met before. Often when I run into Kindness Card recipients a second time, their lives are demonstrably better. Not necessarily because of this movement, but because they haven’t given up when quitting would be so easy.

But Joe’s not doing better. In fact, things have taken a turn for the worse. As I’ve said so many times, the people I meet are brutally, tragically, painfully honest with me. I was gutted by the update.

Obviously, I gave Joe a small supply of meal gift cards, then asked for the name of his favorite restaurant. 

When we said goodbye, I found a nearby location, used your funds to buy him a card, then circled back to surprise him. He said a sincere, sweet thank you.

I’m certainly not embarrassed to say that I had tears in my eyes as I pulled back onto the interstate. 

And then I tried to follow my own advice and smile.

Because trust me, if Joe can smile, we can too.