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Aug 8, 2008

"If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work." --Thich Nhat Hanh

Measuring Success With A Smile

"While traveling for my documentary project,"Hear Us", I pulled up to a busy Phoenix intersection and stopped at a red light. An obviously homeless man began crossing in front of our paused vehicles. I was first in line and was completely preoccupied with the reality that I couldn't find my 1:00 appointment at the nearby (or so I thought) shelter. He turned toward me, pointing to the corners of his mouth, made a universally understood motion to indicate "Smile" and stood and stared at me." So begins this true story of a stranger with a simple, wordless and hard to refuse request.