One student’s journey through darkness leads to a positive outlook that brightens the day, one smile at a time.

By Lauren Kastner

Staff Writer

You’re walking down the hall at Anoka Ramsey Community Colleges Coon Rapids campus. You are tired, the day has been stressful. Out of the corner of your eye you see a man walking towards you. His jeans are pale and threadbare in spots from wear, his flannel shirt has dried clay and glaze on the arm and his long grey ponytail sways a little from the slight skip he has to his step. Just as he reaches you a cheshire cat style grin pops out from behind the matching grey goatee, noticing that behind his glasses he has a friendly twinkle in his eye, his hearty voice booms “Good Morning!” You can’t help but smile back. It’s not until he has passed that you realise its after two in the afternoon.

Phil Hammitt is one of the many non traditional students attending ARCC, and boy is he ever non-traditional. When asked initially what he was going to school for he simply replied “For awhile” with a smirk.

When asked of his habit of greeting people with hearty “good morning” that

earned him the nickname of The Good Morning Guy Hammitt sighed

“All right, all right. there is a story behind that and I’ve had to explain it before so… Every second of the day is the morning for me. Why? Ok, when I wake up in the morning its the best part of the day. If every second of the day is the best part of the day then it must always be morning. There’s a trick to it, you have to make every second of the day the best part of the day,” Hammitt said.

Hammitt did not always have such a cheery attitude. He freely admits that something happened in his life that he says turned his heart, He calls it “The Story Of The Rose”. His unique positive outlook was the result.

His story begins with loss. Loss of a job, loss of loved ones and loss of a home. Like so many others, this led to depression and darkness. The loss was just the beginning of the story,  according to Hammitt he gained something far more important. He gained a voice.

“When you talk to God it’s called praying, when he talks to you it’s schizophrenia”, Hammitt said about the voice in his heart that gives him direction.

The voice in Hammitt’s heart urged him to go west, on foot. Hammitt began to walk, and hitchhike. Admittedly looking over his shoulder as he went.

“People thought I was crazy. I questioned myself. I don’t know what kept me going,” said Hammitt.

Hammitt stopped at Lake Osakis and set up a tent on the lawn of the local Catholic church. The church was named Immaculate Conception. Hammitt, who had always held Mary, [the mother of Christ] in a special place in his heart, knew he was in the right place.

The next day he met the presiding priest and asked if he could fix up the unkempt grotto on the property. He knew nothing about plants but felt that this was his mission. The only plant that Hammitt felt strongly about including in the garden was a rosebush, specifically with big red roses.

He stayed in the abandoned convent while he worked. He worked for three days, praying in the chapel in the evenings. One evening while he was praying, asking for answers, Hammitt heard bells chime. He was reminded of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The implications for him were tremendous.

It took Hammitt three days to finish the grotto; as he placed the tools back and locked them in the shed the sky opened up and rain fell. To Hammitt this was a sign that his job was done. He informed the Father that he would be leaving. As he left he picked up a church calendar, which listed church events as well as days that are important in the Catholic calendar. The day that he had finished the grotto was listed as The Day Of Our Lady Of Fatima, which is another name used for Mary. This was another sign to Hammitt that he had done what he was supposed to do.

“After that there was no more looking back. No more questioning,” said Hammitt.

According to Hammond the rides home were filled with interesting people and conversations to match, but once home the depression set in again.

The holidays were approaching and Hammitt failed to receive any invitations from friends or family to celebrate Thanksgiving. Hammitt rebounded and looked forward to Christmas. He sent out merry Christmas emails and waited. No emails back. No invitations to celebrate with family or friends. At around noon on Christmas day his depression got worse, by two Hammitt felt alone and unloved.

“It overcame me. I began to shake and cry uncontrollably,” Hammitt said. The voice told Hammitt to go for a walk.

As Hammitt walked on that Christmas Day he came upon a red bow lying in the road. Hammitt picked it up and put it in his pocket.

“I got home and looked at it. I set it in front of me. I looked down and started crying, when I looked up again the most beautiful red rose was lying in front of me,” Hammitt said as a tear spilled down his cheek. Hammitt said that a warm feeling of unconditional love washed over him in that moment.

“I wish everyone could have that feeling for just one moment in life,” Hammitt said about the life changing moment. “I know whose voice I hear. I know what’s waiting for me. I try to extend that to others,” continued Hammitt.

Hammitt gives credit to Jesus for his outstanding attitude saying that he can tell those students that have him in their hearts.

“They have Christ in their hearts and you can tell because they are happy people, and the ones that aren’t really on the same footing, really don’t have him in their life and they go around and they’re not really happy,” Hammitt said.

Like many other non-traditional students, Hammitt returned to school after taking another path in the road first. Factory and light industrial jobs took their toll on his legs and construction took its toll on his back he decided to return to school, calling this the good part.

Hammitt is in the process of getting an associates in fine arts as well as an AA in creative writing; although he has no plans to pursue writing or art as a career.

“I want a brain dead job” Said Hammitt. After working for other people and owning his own company Hammitt has had enough of deadlines and time constraints. If someone wants to purchase his work it will have to be on his timetable.

“It’ll be if you want I’ll do it and I’ll give you a call when I’m done. It may take 6 months or whatever but if they come up to me in November and say I want this done in December I’d be saying see ya. Go find someone else” Said Hammitt.

“Because of my background and because I fell in love with writing and I fell in love with  art. I mean I’m just so enthused with all of it that it’s just mind boggling. But anyway, previously I have always used the analytical side of my brain; the logical side. For machining and construction I was always doing that stuff. And now with the arts I’m using the right side of my brain, when I get out of school I’m gonna be bi-polar [laugh]” Hammitt said about why he returned to school.

The contradiction of Hammitt’s cheery demeanor and his weathered appearance leaves some students at a loss as to how to take him. According to Hammitt some students ignore him as he walks by, but after 3 years on campus he gets some “good mornings” from students before he can get it out.

“A lot of times I’ll say hi sweetie or tell someone they look pretty. It’s meant to be positive, I’m great at remembering faces but terrible at names. I just think that maybe someone needed that; someone to smile at them.” Hammitt said of potential criticism.
“A lot of people are plugged in with their ears to those little blue chords and they ignore everything around them and when you say good morning to them it’s like you’re talking to air, there are some that smile back there are even some that say good morning to me before I even get a chance to say good morning because they know me. But yeah, there’s a lot of people that are moody, um.. I guess so am I. Either I’m fantastic or I’m fantastic, or I could be fantastic. One of those, and it depends on the time of the day too.” Said Hammitt with one of his smiles and a twinkle in his eye.