Ava F., Oakwood High School
Finding Your Color
My day was a blur: eat -- walk to school -- learn -- go home -- sleep -- repeat. This cycle continued for what seemed like an eternity. In fact, I concluded at 6 years old that life was black and white. There was no good in people. I lived in the gentrified city of D.C., my doorstep housed a multitude of beggars looking for shelter. I came to resent the unfamiliar people outside. In my mind, they didn’t have shelter because they didn’t deserve it. I regarded others like this for a long time, uncorrected by the community around me, who hadn’t taught me to give back yet. In my sheltered world, I wasn’t sure what my purpose in life was yet. This pattern continued until Christmas time.
Christmas -- a time of gift-giving and being grateful. To my friends and I, this meant getting gifts for each other, but to our moms, this meant incorporating a service project like passing out goodie bags for the needy. When I heard the news, I felt overwhelmed with joy, all I could think about was spending time with my friends and laughing over hot chocolate. However, I didn’t get the point of the bags. The day of, I arrived and we started the assembly line: the toothbrush, the socks, the gloves, and the granola bars. As we were doing these bags, I wondered why people needed them, it seemed like necessities everyone had. During that week, we drove around and handed out the bags. At first, I made my mom get out in the unwelcoming weather and torrential snowfall, handing the bags to blue and purple hands huddled under trees or next to shopping carts. During this, I stayed crouched in the back with the heat blasting, watching as every face lit up with joy and happiness. At every stop, I felt a spark get bigger and bigger until it finally lit. I saw the color in life, the beauty in people, and the light within.
As we approached a woman taking shelter on a bench, I flung myself out of the car finally ready to give the bag myself. I became determined to be the person who brought someone joy. I remember the look on her face when we handed her the bag, to this day thinking about how grateful she looked brings me joy. After that, I regarded everyone as human. The alien-like people who I once thought plagued my doorstep became friends. I soon learned a simple smile can change someone''s day and no matter their situation, it doesn’t make anyone less than.
Finding your color in life brings out the good in everyone. We have no idea what people around us are going through; therefore, their situations and actions don’t define them. This is why I encourage you to be the color, find what brings you joy, and share it with others. The impact you leave on others will light their spark, too.
