Hi my name is Dr Tyler Woods and Happy Parker is my “cousin-in-law.” I am by far not a webmaster, and know very little about HTML and the ins and outs of webpage designing however, when Happy decided to do something with his creativity and his pictures, I was more than happy (excuse the pun) to put a webpage together.
I have recently entered Happy’s life quite by mistake. His wife is my cousin. I have not seen Nanci since my grandparents died, and prior to that it was over twenty-five years. Between family feuds, careers and life, seems like meeting up with one another was not a priority. One day my cousin Sharon came in town and she told me to pick her up at her sister Nanci’s house. Who knew we lived so close together? Less than ten minutes all these years. Rather serendipitous. So I went to their house, said hello to Nanci, said hey to Happy and went on my merry way. Later when I stopped back by to drop Sharon off Happy started showing me his photos. Now I don’t know why he needed to slow my day down by showing me his photos I personally had better things to do and wanted to get home.
Happy’s photos captured my attention. I slowed down and looked at what he saw. He was seeing what we are too busy to see; color, depth, and dimension. His pictures could turn an old cigarette butt into a work of art. He and his wife Nanci invited us for dinner a few weeks down the road to talk about his photos. Good grief. I have things to do. I have a private practice, and clients, public speaking, teaching not to say a private life as well. I didn’t feel like I would have time for this however, reluctantly, my spouse and I accepted.
Well that was about three or four months ago. Happy and Nanci and their family are now a very big part of me and my spouse’s life. Happy has a way of telling people to stop and smell the roses, and Nanci’s courage makes the roses smell so much better. She’s a great cook too!
By working on Happy’s webpage, I have an opportunity to get to know him. I have spent time interviewing him, asking him questions, checking in with his emotions, trying to capture the real spirit of Happy so I could write and set up his page. Truth is, Happy is really a happy sort of guy. He finds strength in every day little tasks that we call menial.
He travels throughout Tucson in his electric wheelchair to capture the essence of this town. He finds beauty in people’s backyards.
Happy never feels sorry for himself. He puts one foot in front of the other so to speak; even though he cannot walk he has powerful energy that allows him to move forward. I have met people who can walk, do everyday tasks, earn money, drive and vacation all over the world and still complain about how awful their life is. Happy, will not complain. He thinks the yard two blocks down is plenty vacation for him, and the beauty in that yard is far better than some exotic vacation. He doesn’t need to travel the world to see beauty, just boogie up the street and a few blocks over to capture the next yard, the next bloom, the next piece of eye candy that makes his soul dance.
Happy and his family have taught me a great deal in this short time we have been in each others life. I have learned a so much about his disability. I am not afraid to ask questions and ask him how he does things. I have educated myself on quadriplegics and have gone outside my comfort zone to learn all I can about his disability. Happy was just a seventeen year old kid when he broke his neck. He never once gave up. He fought for his life and for his right to be part of this planet. Happy is an inspiration and his photos take you on his journey.
Yes, it has been my honor to set up his page, and I hope you have the opportunity to get to know Happy through his pictures.
