Insight Thanks To EPA

So this weekend I had the luxury of attending the Eastern Psychological Association Annual Conference (EPA). Though have been presented with great research and supporting my fellow classmates and professors as they make a difference the field of psychology, I learned one thing that anyone could learn--EPA attendee or not.

The conference was in Philadelphia this year, which is relatively close to home. Therefore, my friend and I decided to take the train as it dropped us right off at the hotel. After a day in the city, exploring current research in the field, and Penn State bonding, our feet were killing us and it was time to make our way back home. 

This is completely irrelevant to mention--well maybe not--but we thought we completely missed our scheduled train. It turns out, the train was running five minutes late. So after running through the station and almost tumbling down stairs, we make it on the train we were convinced we missed and avoided having to wait a whole extra hour to make our way back to suburbia. 

As we walk through the crowded train and hastle through balloons and characters from individuals who visted the flower show, we finally found a seat on the train across from this woman who was handicapped. However, we didn't notice at first.

As the train started to move, the handicapped woman was reading a story to who I presummed to be her daughter. They were laughing, smiling, and joking with each other after this long day of hell I'm sure this woman encountered. Without realizing this yet, my friend and I start complaining how much our feet hurt from being on them all day. Following a brief moment of typical female complaints, we soon realize that there's a service dog curled up in the corner (apparently for the handicapped woman). That's when it hit me. 

It was then we realized that this woman was smiling and making the most of her visit to the city. Despite the aforementioned day of "hell"--being stared at all day, whispered about, and having to maneuver a hoover round and a service dog through the crowded Convention Center--she was still smiling. Yeah, my friend and I had sore feet, but we were able to use them. We were able to get around the city without considering special accomodations, awkward stares, and social uncomfortability. And this to me was what was the most inspiring about this experience. Had we not made that train, we wouldn't have been seated next to her and this enlightening moment may have not occurred. 

Always smile because there's always someone who has it worse than you.