Name: Joseph Rousseau
Category: High School
Dr. Parker’s Quote: Inspirational Advice for Daily Living
Smile to someone you don't know. . .it may make their day.
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Essay:
The words of Dr. Parker may seem endless to some, as simple words can have more than one meaning. Smiling to someone I do not know, because it may make their day; I was not too sure about this one. Then, after recalling memories from when I was a child, I realized how true this quote can come into play in any part of the world. I live in a small town out of Windsor, Ontatio. At the age of 12, I was able to travel for the first time to Toronto on a vacation with my youth group. I was only 12, while most of the other kids were several years older than me. At that age, I would have done just about anything for the other kids to like me. I was a little shy and could not believe the way some of these kids were acting, especially out of town in front of strangers. At night time, the group was walking back to our hotel. Most of the kids tried to walk ahead of the adults, so I tried to fit in and go along with them. Right beside our hotel, a homeless person sat and asked pedestrians for money. When we got back inside our rooms, some of the kids thought it would be funny to throw coins at this man. I had no part in this, no matter how much I wanted the other kids to like me. When the other kids went swimming, I went down to this homeless man, and smiled. He smiled back. His reaction almost made me speechless. I gave him some money in my wallet, and he smiled again and whispered “you just made my day”. This is a moment I can never forget, because it shows the effect that a stranger can have on another. Sometimes it takes one person to turn someone’s day from worse to perfection. A stranger could never have become happier, all because of a simple smile from someone he did not know. This can be put into effect everyday, as many people struggle just to get through the day. In my case, a homeless person was struggling everyday to survive. With current economic troubles, and many people struggling to feel happy, a smile can help give a person hope and make them feel good about themselves. A smile can signify that there is someone out there that cares, and that people who are having trouble in life are not alone. One smile, one simple smile is all it takes... how hard is that.
