A New Yorker has dedicated his mornings to giving out high-fives. Every weekday, Eddie Pabon stands on the corner of 56th Street and Hudson Avenue to wish passing students a great day at school. He calls this positive ritual “high-five for a beautiful school day.” News 12 tells us that he’s been doing this for a year, and he hopes that others will follow his lead.
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“I strongly believe when you do this… you put your positive energy into them, you give them that boost,” said Eddie. “Take this energy with you into the school, make it through your school day. Bada bing, bada boom.”
While something as simple as a high-five may not seem like it makes a difference, those who encounter Eddie on their way to school actually have a better day.
“I’ve had two teachers come up and tell me like, ‘I love what you do. When I see my students, they’re literally still full of energy since they saw you,'” said the West New York resident. “When I hear that, that’s ballgame.”
Meeting Eddie now, you’d never guess that he once struggled with an addiction to drugs or that he’d spent time in prison. He even admitted to stealing. Thankfully, he’s been able to turn his life around.
“Fentanyl. Heroin. I had no willpower,” he said. “I had hopes out the window. I thought I was going to die an active addict.”
For Eddie, spreading joy in his community “is sort of like compensation for the damage I did to my life and my surroundings.”
“As much as in my dark I took, now I’m giving back,” he said.
Eddie added that his new addiction is putting smiles on people’s faces. News 12 reports that he gave out about 200 high-fives the morning that they interviewed him.
Watch the video below for a dose of Eddie Pabon’s infectious positivity!
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