Marie. Santa Barbara, CA.

This is: Marie

Current Location: St. Vincent’s in Santa Barbara, CA.

Hometown: Born in Vietnam but moved to Portland, OR at age 12

Marie is a postulate serving the low income community St. Vincent’s where she is living with the Sisters of Charity. However, she is soon leaving the Sisters, and her role as pool manager, to begin Seminary school in Indiana. After two years she will emerge a nun and return to serve with her fellow Sisters of Charity.

In addition to the qualities an aspiring nun would doubtless exhibit, Marie makes me smile for countless other reasons.  Marie, although slight in frame, is great in conviction.  She maintains that every interaction with another person is intentional; That crossing paths are not coincidental, but rather  determined and meaningful. And so she speaks with purpose, listens with compassion, teaches humbly and laughs joyfully.  She is paradoxically wise despite her refreshing innocence.

What I find most remarkable is that at 20-something Marie sounds not so different from any other young adult.  She went to school, graduated from an established university, fell in love, fell out of love…  The difference is she  “always just felt a call to a life of religion”.  And so she followed her heart and lives will be better for it.

Thanks for the smiles Marie.

Donald.Santa Barbara, CA.

This is: Donald

Location: Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara

Must Haves: Headphones, Roller skates, a healthy sweat

What he listens to: "Right now Mac10", but always rap

People say to dance like nobody's watching, Donald does... and on roller skates.

This is Donald. He can be seen evenings on Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara- headphones in, roller skates on. Donald is a sensational freestyle roller skater who dances on the waterfront. And What inspires his twists, spins, and turns? Well "to just unwind" of course.  He says he doesn't really know what he looks like, and doesn't seem to really worry about it.

Well Donald, I think it looks great. Smile? check.

Hello...

...and welcome to People That Make Me Smile.
Although the name is pretty self-explanatory, I'd nonetheless like to give a brief introduction to this project/collection/community...? 

It began with a simple love for people.
I know, cliche right? But let me expand...

You only have to be vaguely aware of your fellow humankind to notice the obvious differences:  shapes, sizes, colors, dispositions, fashions, cultures, likes and dislikes, passions, beliefs, ambitions... smiles. There have been billions and billions of us, and never have two been exactly alike.  But this is nothing new or novel, so I'll spare you my sappy anecdotes.


What I am taken by is what each one of us adds to... well, us.  We all exist somewhere, at sometime, as the person we are and in doing so inadvertently contribute to this strange, complex, extraordinary puzzle of humankind.
(...ok, I'm losing you now aren't I? Stay with me though...)
Despite the bazillion (yea, thats right, bazillion) of people there have been, the coutless that we come into contact with daily, there are still those who for whatever reason, stand out.

It could be those people we know well, people we see often but know a little about, or strangers we pass only once.  But something about them... well, they just make you smile.

There are a number of reasons, most inexplicable, why some people bring me such joy.  But I think it has something to do with reflecting the truth of their character.  Not to say that what one does, or how they photograph, explains a persons character, or reveals an all encompassing truth of ones existance.  But there is something to be said for those who are unabashedly themselves, those who are comfortably different, those who take joys in life and its simple or complex pleasures, those who teach without words, and who radiate hope.

(Ok, I'll get to my point)

This collection is dedicated to those people.  Those who bring joy to this world, or at least me, by simply being themselves.

These are people that make me smile.