PARKSVILLE, BC –

Jayson Perry is in the middle of a journey he never imagined he would begin.

“It was definitely a shock,” Jayson says of losing his custom cabinet business during the pandemic. “It was overwhelming stress.”

And then he lost his house.

“I just live in the bush (now),” Jayson says.

His former office manager, Shirley Chamberlin, says that when Jayson realized that being homeless was going to be more permanent than occasional camping, his mental health began to suffer.

“His approach was different. It was heavier,” says Shirley. “He didn’t take care of himself.”

But then one day, while walking by an abandoned box that had been stuck in a highway ditch for ages, Jayson felt compelled to do something.

“I jumped in there and ripped it out,” says Jayson, who discovered the entire ditch was filled with trash. “Much more than I thought.”

So he spent the next two hours picking up all the trash in that area.

“I just felt awesome,” Jayson says. “Positive.”

So he did it the next day in a different ditch, the next day, and now – over a year later – he continues to do it almost daily.

“He had this passion,” Shirley says. “He had something to look forward to that he did himself.”

And Jayson discovered that while he started to feel bad, serving the community in this way ended up making him happy.

“It’s almost magical for him,” Shirley says.

And it’s definitely useful. Jayson says he’s on a mission to help the environment, raise awareness about homelessness, and spread positive energy to everyone who crosses his path.

He started waving at the drivers and when they honked their horns in response, Jayson had the idea to start playing air guitar for them.

“The more excited the traffic, the more motivated I am,” Jayson also says, the more you make people smile, the more likely they are to smile at someone else.

“It’s spreading like wildfire,” Jayson smiles.

Now, Shirley helps Jayson in his mission by occasionally picking up trash with him and constantly maintaining his Facebook page, “Positive energy.” His volunteer work also prompted grateful community members to make donations to him, which he gratefully accepted.

Jayson finishes each project, like an artist completing a canvas, by signing the floor with a happy face, a heart and a peace sign.

He hopes to inspire everyone, regardless of their circumstances, to make the world a better place.

“Seeing him make a difference in his own way,” smiles Shirley, “and the community being receptive to it is a beautiful thing.” »