assumptions

i love being caught by surprise. it forces me in that moment to learn that no assumption is safe. there is so much more than meets the eye, to every person and situation. perspective is such a limiting thing.

meet Oswaldo Gomez.

(photo by Humans of New York)

what do you assume about him? i can guess... he's insane, he's gay, he's wasting his time, he's this or that. would it surprise you to learn that he was in fact a lawyer in Columbia and earned a master's degree in art from New York University?

Oswaldo Gomez was pursuing his Ph.D. in Spanish literature when he was diagnosed with AIDS. After processing his diagnosis he decided he should enjoy what little time he had left. So he put on a costume. “People think I’m crazy, but they don’t know what happened to me,” he said. Gomez has a habit of making strangers smile, and those who know him well say his mission is to make other people happy.

“There is no tomorrow... I live day by day. And I enjoy my days like it’s the last day of my life.”

i have a lot to learn from him.

read more about his story here.