Moreik has a degree in mechanical engineering and is a Navy vet who used to work on explosives. One evening he came home to find his wife being unfaithful, ultimately leading to an expensive divorce. Two weeks later, he was diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer. Oh, and he also has diabetes, turrets, and struggles with anger. I asked him what brought him joy, and he laughed and shook his head. I asked again if there was anything left that brought him joy, and he said, “you two bring me joy. The fact that you stopped and sat down to actually ask me about my life—that doesn’t happen. Nobody cares about people like me. To most people, I am a lazy, crazy, drunk. In fact, you should see the facial expressions of people walking by and judging you both for sitting here with me.”
I proceeded to reach into my backpack, saying, “I am going to challenge you Moreik. You aren’t going to like this, but I’m going to challenge you anyway” and handed him an ODE card. “You have to write down one thing that you are thankful for. Just one.” I sat there and watched as he gripped his pen and began to write.
He wrote down one word:
Life.
EVERYONE MATTERS. You matter. He matters. She matters. They or whatever pronoun you use…matters. We all matter regardless of the religion you believe in, skin color you have, sexual partner you choose, clothes you wear, music you listen to, food you like, or whether you’re making six figures or collecting change in a paper cup. Everyone has a story that deserves to be told and heard… all we have to do is care enough to ask.
Follow the @mylifeanode movement on Instagram and Kahrin Spear You can submit your own ODE and share with the world using the #mylifeanode
