I came across a website today that made my day. It's called mylifeisg.com, and it's basically a compilation of (supposedly) true anecdotes about why various people's lives are great. Most of them were sappy, and some of them were silly:
"OMG i'm 13 and just got a boyfriend today! I luv him forever! MLIG!"
But amazingly, a lot of them were truly uplifting. The ones that caught my eye the most were those that talked about how a friend or stranger's simple smile or other action made their day, sometimes preventing them from seriously harming themselves. It brought to my attention how important it is to be a friendly, welcoming person. You never know what a person is going through inside. Some people are incredibly good actors, pretending that they're fine when in reality they're a step away from swallowing a handful of pills or pulling a trigger. It happens everywhere. I have friends who have been suicidal in the past. I have friends who are still scarily close to that place. These are wonderful people with so much to give the world. They just need to be told that, reminded of that. Shown a smile and given a random hug.
I read a story a long time ago in a Chicken Soup book about a boy who saw a classmate he barely knew struggling to walk home under a pile of books. When the classmate dropped them, he stopped to help him out, smiling and befriending him. They became best friends. At their high school graduation, the friend who had struggled home that day gave a speech. He told how he had been carrying home all of the contents of his locker that night because he had planned to kill himself, and he didn't want his mom to have to do it. The kindness and friendship he had been shown had changed his mind, and he had decided to live.
I guess the moral of all of this is that I've made a pact with myself to be as friendly a person as I can, to everyone. I urge others to do the same. Smile at the grocery store checkout person. Wave when you pass someone on the street. Compliment someone. Obviously you don't want to take it too far--stalking is generally frowned upon by society--but little things can make all of the difference. This world needs more love, so do your part. Smile.
