Happy Tears.

Tags

authenticity, courage, inspiration, recovery, spirituality, theellenshow, wellness

Remember when the whole “Ellen DeGeneres and her Dog” fiasco happened? A re-cap in case you missed it:

Talk show host/ love-of-my-life-if-I-were-gay Ellen DeGeneres had adopted a dog and given it away to a young girl and her family, only to find out she’d breached the contract of her adoption by giving the dog to new owners.  The adoption agency paid a visit to the home of the young girl and her family to whom Ellen had given the dog and reclaimed the puppy, saying it was now property of the agency since Ellen wasn’t technically allowed to give the dog to another family.  The next day on her show, Ellen graced her live audience and millions of TV viewers around the world sobbing in tears.  Explaining what had happened and that she was desperately fighting to get the agency to return the dog to the sweet and now very sad recipient of her pup, she made no apologies for her expression of grief, saying that it just wouldn’t be “her” to act like she was happy when she was feeling so upset. Here’s the actual clip:

I was in awe when I watched this – perhaps because if I were to grace an audience of millions everyday and be that authentic, there would probably be a lot more tear-filled episodes of my show than just the one that Ellen has had. To share who we are with the world, to observe courageous vulnerability as sociologist Brene Brown refers to it, can be a very tall order.   Ellen has always moved me with her courage, and the way she has used it to set other people free.  As a friend of mine put it recently, she gave the gift of saying “Hey. Me too.”

In a world that says “be yourself, except don’t,” I think we’re all feeling that desire to hear “me, too” in some way. It was recently that I realized the only people who I tend to compare myself with and think I need to “be more like” are people who I’ve only met once … or people who I don’t know very well.

In walking around the world recently, I’ve done my best to keep an eye out not for what’s different between me and everyone else, but for what’s the same.  It turns out I always lose in the game of comparing my insides to other people’s outsides, but in being myself – or being faced with others doing the same – I find that I’ve given and received more gifts than I could possibly pay back in return.

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People Profile: Lindsey O’Connor

Lindsey O’Connor, EPHAS’ most recent co-op. Photo CC Laura Max Nelson.

As many of you know, I started this blog as part of an assignment for a class at Northeastern University with Media Nation blogger and Professor Dan Kennedy.  Over the course of that semester, I had the honor of getting to know my classmate and “green queen” Lindsey O’Connor.  We caught up earlier today at Boston’s eco-friendly Pavement Coffee House where she told me all about her most recent ventures, including how she’s planning on changing the world one bite, and even one photo at a time. Lindsey, who has a smile you can spot from a mile away, just scored a position with Every Person Has a Story (EPHAS). EPHAS, a non-profit company which puts cameras in the hands of underprivaged children to spread first-hand perspective on their day-to-day lives, resonates with her intention to authentically share people’s stories and make the world a better place:

“What makes me excited about working there is that I’m very passionate about empowering people. By empowering people, that’s how you really create positive change,” she says. “I feel like the more we raise awareness about other cultures and other people, we’ll soon realize that we’re all human and we’re all the same and we should all just get along.”

Lindsey studies journalism at Northeastern, but while her major hasn’t changed, her focus has shifted.  When it comes to applying her skills, she says it’s more about empowering people to have a voice rather than trying to be their voice.

“I don’t feel like I, as a journalist or writer, can go into another culture and really understand whats going on, but im still fascinated by other pople andother cultures and learning about them,” she said.  “I want to help create positive change because I have such passionate feelings about the human race and all of us together. We are one world, one people … I really want to try to bring that message across.”

Although her job won’t start until September, Lindsey uses each day to make a days worth of difference.  A believer in the power of positive energy, Lindsey says it’s really all about passing it on in any way you can:

“I smile to people when im walking down the street, I say good morning to people, I look them in the eye when I talk to them … if you put that positive energy into the world, its going to have this domino effect,” she explained. “Little things like that I think really make a difference.”

Apart from a smile and a wave, Lindsey also continues to remain aware of her environmental footprint, which she’s blogged about in the past.  With Boston being a hub for the green scene, she says it’s easy to take a more concious bite out of life:

“I am like this vegetable, whole grain queen,” she described. “Anything with raw fresh fruits or vegetables and whole grain, I am on board.“

Lindsey says her favorite Boston hotspots for the green of heart are Whole Foods, the Trader Joe’s in Coolidge Corner, Pavement Coffee House and the Copley Square Farmer’s Market.

Taking a whole-grain, veggie-packed bite out of life. Photo CC Laura Max Nelson.

As for the rest of what it takes to find joy in the everyday, Lindsey thinks there’s probably a reason why “following your heart” has become so cliche:

“I don’t want to say follow your heart … because that just pisses me off. But seriously, do whats in your heart. If you’re passionate about something … you will be successful at it.  Whether that success brings you money and fame or not, the fact is, youre going to be happy because you’re doing what you love to do.”