Reese L., Oakwood High School
A Little Help Can Do Wonders
A Little Help Can Do Wonders
You might feel awkward, not rewarded, or frustrated when giving up your time and effort for no gain. At first, this is what I felt when helping others; yet, it only took me a few moments to realize that the difference I could make on other people can be more rewarding than money ever could.
In the spring of my 7th-grade year, a woman in her mid-fifties asked my siblings and I to walk her two dogs. Her name was Lori. Lori was dealing with breast cancer and was recently diagnosed with MS: a disease that makes one’s muscles and tendons abnormally unsteady and frail. She had two dogs, a greyhound named Cali and a little terrier named Bitty. The dogs were adorable and well-behaved and the walks were relatively pleasant. So, unable to walk her dogs, she paid us ten dollars to do so.
This system worked out for a while, until in September of my 8th-grade year, my mom explained that Lori was struggling with life. She told us that we should not accept money from Lori, as she was dealing with a lot of emotionally, financially, and physically draining things. I’m not going to lie to you, I didn’t rejoice in this new way of things, I didn’t accept that I was helping someone who needed it the most. But, I sucked up my self-centered ideals and continued to walk her dogs; but now for charity.
After walking Lori’s dogs daily, she would always talk to me. She thanked me for being so kind to walk her dogs, and she would tell me stories about her life. She would talk of her teaching days when she taught art. Of her classes and the time she persuaded the school to make an advanced art program instead of the study hall on her schedule. Even though the job was walking the dogs, she needed someone to talk to. She would continue talking to me; more about her life stories and what she was facing.
It wasn’t a sudden revision of my selfish feelings, but I slowly changed my ideas about the situation. I began to think that my kind acts matter much more than money and personal gain. After all, the walks were nice on cool fall days, outside in the cool air, with some nice music to listen to, and the sights of fall around you; thus, nothing to worry about.
Even though Lori doesn''t have those same dogs anymore, and the new one doesn’t like walks, my brother and I still try to visit Lori every week to mow her lawn, rake her leaves, and help her with other tasks. Overall, I believe the entire experience emotionally rewarded both Lori and me. I might have felt awkward and ungrateful at the start, but I found that the true meaning of my effort didn’t come in the shape of money but in the reward that kindness brings to the heart.
