My Inspired World

Walking the streets of Los Angeles has always been interesting to me, but I didn't realize that my next story was right around the corner. After leaving film production jobs some nights at 1 am, I would have to walk the streets of LA to get to my car. The homeless people I had seen during the day were still there in the dead of night. I quickly realized that the street was their home and they had no where else to go. I thought about them going to bed hungry, but not actually even having a bed to sleep in. Questions began to form in my mind - why were they there? What life circumstances altered their direction? Domestic violence? Runaways? Poverty? Tragedy? What was their story? I was immediately challenged and began to write this story not knowing that this would change my perception of people who are homeless and set me on a path to create this story.

Our main character Carlton ended up homeless on the streets of LA because of one moment, one distraction - that rocked his entire world. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and giving in to his despair, he chooses to reach out to help other people regain a sense of normalicy. He meets strangers who become bonded to him; he finds the beauty in a dark world, beauty from his own heart as he humbly seeks his own redemption. He has paid a great price to learn that we are all just one distraction away from potentially losing everything. Because it’s what we do today that matters the most tomorrow.

We really need to show empathy towards everyone we meet in some form or another, even if it’s just saying hello, flashing a smile or offering a bottle of water. These small gestures go further than you think, It brings a sense of humanity back to the people who feel as if they are invisible in a world that rejects them for their faults.