Margot L., Centerville High School
Kindness Can Overcome
You never appreciate the things that make you happy in life until they’re taken from you. In early June of this summer, I got home from summer school and was greeted with the news that my eleven year old sister’s best friend had suddenly died. In the weeks that followed, I learned the valuable lesson that happiness can be found as long as you choose to find it.
As the older sister, I have always felt responsible for my younger sister. Over the next few weeks, I tried my hardest to make her smile whenever she looked like she was on the verge of tears. It started off small, I would tell her jokes, invite her to hang out with my friends, and give her extra hugs. However, after a few days, those hugs started to mean something to me, too.
I had never lost someone before, let alone someone so young that I knew so well. I plastered on a smile and shoved my feelings down at school, but a part of me felt broken inside. Soon, I became more distant from my friends and was asked if I was okay a dozen times a day. “I’m fine!” I always answered, because putting on a mask was easier than explaining the whole thing.
Then one day, something in me realized something. I talked with the girl’s parents at the celebration of life, and they were crying, of course, but they were also going out of their way to be kind. Despite everything that had happened to them, there they were, showering their kindness on us all. I decided then that instead of just shutting off when I felt sad, I would just go out of my way to be kind to others. I continued to do small things, as well as big things, to help out and make others happy. After all, seeing others happy because of something you did makes you happier than anything else.
In the months that followed, I realized that I had created a whole new version of myself. Not only did I feel like a better person, but my relationship with my parents, my sister, and my friends felt stronger. I had changed over the summer, but I had changed for the better. My family and I may never “get over” the grief, nor do we want to, but what we have gained from the experience will remain with us forever. I not only learned that kindness can be healing, I learned that happiness can come even when joy seems impossible. I will never be the same person as I was, but I will be a better version of myself, a happier and kinder version. And who wants to stay the same, anyway?
