Now that the holidays are over, the joy that we often feel dissipates. The Christmas tree gets put away; some presents go unused and life returns to normalcy.
But the Clarion wonders: are joy and happiness fleeting or are they something that we find within ourselves? And if joy and happiness are fleeting, how do we gain it for ourselves?
For the Clarion, we find that it is the smaller things in life that brings the joy and happiness back into our lives. It may be the wide toothy smile from a child, a call from an old forgotten friend or admiration from a mentor. All of these possibilities can cause us to have a better outlook on the day because it brings a smile to our faces.
Think of the times in your life when you have been the happiest or you were having a bad day and something out of the blue brought a smile to your face. It could have been the kindness of a stranger holding the door open for you, inviting a new student at Sinclair to lunch or merely giving someone paper and a pen to write with.
All of these things are small and are quite inexpensive because it doesn’t take much to show someone who may be having a bad day some kindness.
Appreciating the smaller things in life may not be included on your new year’s resolution, but try it out for a while. It will prove very beneficial because not only are you improving someone else’s life, you are improving your own life as well.
Just recently, one of us at the Clarion forgot his wallet before buying food. An employee of the Main Street Café said that the food could be eaten, if the money was brought to pay for the food later.
It was this simple act of sympathy that was needed to get through what seemed like a bad day.
What better gain in this world than somebody who can cheer you up when you’re having an off day?
I implore of you to communicate with someone who seems upset or saddened, share your notes with a classmate and say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ when someone does something nice for you.
Who knows you may be the only example of kindness that person will see that day. And in the midst of your darkest days, you will think of the kindness you’ve shown to others and possibly, smile.