HELPING PEOPLE
I believe in helping people-all people. Some may say that the little deeds really don’t count in the long run, or that some people don’t deserve to be helped, or that they need to learn their lesson the “hard way” to “learn responsibility”. I’m not suggesting that you guiltlessly spoil anyone you may come across, but it’s good to remember that a helping hand is always greatly appreciated. Everyone deserves help every once in a while, and not just the ones that I may deem worthy.
Sometimes when I’m walking to second period, I see a group of people huddled outside the obviously locked door. For on reason or another, they are just arriving to school and are too lazy (or don’t have enough time) to walk around to the front of the school to the correct door. They’re practically shivering. They knock and beg and plead for someone to let them in. Of course, not all of them are innocent.
Many of them have a first period study hall, but many of them also just felt like skipping. They got to sleep in and take their time getting ready and maybe even enjoy a hot breakfast, while I suffered through the horrible class known as government. Why should I help them? Those kids need to take responsibility for their actions and be late. Maybe they’ll even get a detention for it. They deserve to be left out in the cold, right?
And yet, I let them in, because this is a huge analogy for life itself. Sometimes you have to forget about whatever feelings of hate or revenge you have for someone. Sometimes you have to just get over it, because people need your help.
After I let them in, they joyously thank me and sprint to wherever they may be going and I smile to myself. I smile because I helped someone out today. I could have saved someone from getting that dreaded fourth tardy of the semester, thus saving them more than a few Saturday schools. I could have saved someone from simply suffering the embarrassment of arriving late.
It may seem small, but the small things add up in the long run. I’m proud to be one of those nice girls who lets the late kids in before second period. Some may call me a pushover, but that’s ok. I’ve probably let them in before second period at least once anyways.
Erin Claeys
