Humans of GLISS Blog

“I have always strived to be someone who abided by the rules and stayed out of trouble. For the most part, I did that.” George told us. He was a prison guard in California most of his life and never found any joy in causing trouble or running any sort of risk. Maybe that sounds boring to some, but to others like George, you know that life can be just as fascinating from his point of view. 

Just because he didn’t cause any real trouble, doesn’t mean he wasn’t ever caught in bad situations though. In fact, George told us that drugs were all around him. Everywhere you look, if you look hard enough, you’ll find trouble. Temptations wait around every corner, but it’s really about whether or not you take the chance on the risk of temptation. His friends fell into the tricks and tribulations of drugs and trouble. George recounts trying to be the one to steer them straight, but found out that you cannot make someone want to change or leave their habits. They have to want it for themselves and unfortunately, some of his friends didn’t want that change for themselves. 

As you can imagine, it’s hard to watch loved ones fall into the unmerciful life of addictions. It’s a tough spot to be in, when you’re on the outside looking in. The introspection that these scenarios brought on caused a turning point in George’s life. He realized that although he was living a great life with an amazing wife and kids, he still had parts of his life he was unhappy with and needed a change. He took a leap of faith from his old job that was leaving him feeling unfulfilled and jumped into a new position with GLISS and we are SO glad he did. 

We asked him this question, “if you had a piece of advice for a stranger who crossed paths with you what would you say?” To that, he replied:

“If you are unhappy right now, go find something new. If someone isn’t treating you right, you still offer them kindness and grace. You are setting the example for them, and that may change their point of view. You never know, maybe they’ll spread the kindness you shared with them”.

What a beautiful piece of advice and a great reminder to put positivity out into the world. Find the silver lining in all situations and people!