A Trip to The Tustin Farmers Market

Last Wednesday I took a morning bike ride to the Tustin Farmers Market to get some eggs and veggies for the week. As I was getting some veggies from a very talkative and excited vendor named John, he asked if he could give me something. I told him he could. John went to the front seat of his truck and returned with a slip of paper. On it, contained a copy of the Optimist Creed. The creed is as follows:

Promise Yourself ...
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.


John went on to tell me that he was a retired Marine who had served our country for many years and now had passed out over 7,000 copies of the creed.

"Some people can't handle it," he said. "This kind of stuff is too much for them.."

The creed was written in 1912 but is the creed for the organization Optimist International.

Optimist International is an association of more than 2,900 Optimist Clubs around the world dedicated to "Bringing Out the Best in Kids." Adult volunteers join Optimist Clubs to conduct positive service projects in their communities aimed at providing a helping hand to youth. With their upbeat attitude, Optimist Club members help empower young people to be the best that they can be.

Each Optimist Club determines the needs of the young people in its community and conducts programs to meet those needs. Every year, Optimists conduct 65,000 service projects and serve well over six million young people.

So on a daily basis a man who has seen things that would probably make anyone cynical or bitter is selling veggies and giving away optimism.

Thank you John for making my Wednesday even better than I thought it would be and for being someone who does their part to make everyday interactions more genuine.

If you'd like to meet John and get some great produce and support local growers, the Tustin Certified Farmers Market is every Wednesday from 9am-1pm in the farmers market lot on El Camino Real in Tustin, CA.

If you'd like to learn more about Optimist International, their website is www.optimist.org

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