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[SiH] Feature Article: Who is Happy Guy?

Published
by
sarahurd
on July 23, 2008
in [SiH] Feature Article
. 0 Comments

Success in Harmony

July 2008 - Vol. V, Issue 3

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Feature Article: Who is Happy Guy?
by Sara Hurd, CFCC

Every once in a while, you come across a genuinely fantastic human interest story. Such is the story of “Happy Guy,” a random stranger whose wide grin graced a photo in a trash bin, and Nate Sturdy, a guy down on his luck who found the photo and experienced a reawakening.

Seven years ago, Nate Sturdy had lost his job, his girlfriend, his apartment, and had been to the hospital twice–all in the course of one month! He was, naturally, feeling a bit blue. When cleaning at a hotel in Banff, Canada, he came across a photo that had been tossed into the trash. The smile that stared out at him made him stare back. He was drawn in by the huge smile, and felt like the “Happy Guy” was telling him it would all be okay. He posted the photo on the fridge as a reminder that there is plenty to smile about, and kept it for seven years. In the meantime, his family back in Australia would tell anyone who would listen the story of Happy Guy, and his brother decided to post a group on Facebook and a webpage, whoishappyguy.com. What began then was a worldwide search for the real Happy Guy, which recently had a very happy ending.

Happy GuyPaul Daggett had been snapped in a candid photo by a good friend. Thinking his smile was a bit goofy, he threw it in the trash in his hotel room. Seven years later, the daughters of a good friend called to tell the family that he was now an internet phenomenon. He emailed Nate and his brother last October, and in June of this year, they traveled from Australia to meet Paul at Banff National Park and return the photo.

Along the way, Nate and Paul have inspired countless of internet visitors to look for the good in life. Will you be inspired, too?

Note: There is lots of information about the story on the Facebook group, but you can also view part of the story at YouTube.

Continue reading ‘[SiH] Feature Article: Who is Happy Guy?’

[SiH] On a Personal Note: Rediscovering TV

Published
by
sarahurd
on October 15, 2007
in [SiH] On a Personal Note
. 1 Comment

Success in Harmony

September 2007 - Vol. IV, Issue 9

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On a Personal Note: Rediscovering TV

I have to admit, I’m hooked a couple of TV shows. It’s been a while - we’ve had only rabbit ears hooked to our TV since we moved into our home 4 1/2 years ago, and we get snow and static on most of our local channels. However, we do get a couple of PBS stations (thank goodness for children’s educational programming, we love Between the Lions in our house) and a couple of other network stations. For the most part, we haven’t really watched much TV and haven’t really missed it! But the one thing I regretted was that ABC does not come in at all, so in spite of my desire to watch Dancing with the Stars in the past (yeah, I took ballroom dancing classes in college and loved it–unfortunately I married a non-dancer), I had to miss it.

Well, this season, ABC has posted full episodes of select shows on its website, abc.go.com. On demand, I can watch Dancing with the Stars with a few commercial interruptions (but fewer than live). I can’t vote, but I can enjoy the fun the next day. I wish they’d use more classic ballroom music and less pop, rock and rap, but there are some great performers among the stars and professionals. For those of you who are also watching, I’m really liking Helio Castroneves and Sabrina Bryan for their sharp performances and dancing talent. You’ve got to admire Mark Cuban for his work ethic–his dedication to the show and to doing his best is amazing–and Marie Osmond is such an engaging performer and so fun to watch. You can’t discount Jane Seymour, who is gorgeous and graceful at age 56. I’m looking forward to seeing who makes it to the top!

The other TV show I’m enjoying (if that’s even the right word!) is Ken Burns The War, a seven-part documentary about World War II. It’s currently playing on most PBS stations, and I’ve watched all but the last two episodes so far. I have increased my knowledge of the war itself, but most of all, I have increased my appreciation for the fine men and women who sacrificed in so many ways for the war effort. The horrors of war are made very real in this documentary, and that has been hard to watch. Personally, as a former missionary who lived in Japan and loved the people, I have had to deal with new feelings about the Japanese military and the brutality and cruelty they showed to not only Allied POWs but also Allied civilians and their own citizens. Ken Burns remains a masterful storyteller as he threads the personal experiences of real people through the narration. One of the things Ken Burns and PBS have done is to launch the Veterans History Project to collect and archive the wealth of personal experiences and capture the stories of World War II. For more about The War and the Veterans History Project, see http://pbs.org/thewar.