I hate winter. There, I said it. I love the snow and frost from December 20th until January 5th. But anything before and after the Holiday season…. NO THANK YOU! Walking into the frigid wind that burns my face, my socks soaked with the slush that cannot make up its mind to melt or freeze, and not being able to show off my new top behind my bulky winter coat does not put me in a good mood.
I also notice that others are sharing my agony as I walk the sidewalks of Michigan State campus. Nobody returns smiles or friendly gestures. Nobody offers to help up the person who just slipped and slid across the ice and slush. I even admit to giggling underneath my scarf. (It’s so mean…. and yet, so entertaining!) We just all bow our heads against the biting wind, and go on our not so merry way. That’s right, everyone is suffering from the winter blues.
I was just pondering the kindness of people this morning walking to my 8:30 class when I smiled at a boy passing by. He did not return the smile, even though he definitely noticed my friendly gesture. Am I that creepy or is he, like the rest of campus, suffering the winter blues and just did not feel like returning a smile to a stranger on the street?
I was still wondering this four hours later, sitting in the Shaw cafeteria with a couple of friends. Not really paying attention to conversation, I snapped out of my mindless thinking when they were gesturing to a point right behind me. I asked what they were talking about.
A girl had just sat down at a table behind me. She was by herself and, judging by the large winter coat, just stopping by Shaw for a quick lunch. She was also visibly born with a vitiligo skin pigmentation disorder. This is when there are very defined large or small spots on your body that are a sharply different color than the rest of your skin. She seemed very shy, and in a large cafeteria with many groups of students laughing and eating together, she was also very much alone. After about 10 seconds of talking about joining her for lunch, one of my friends began to gesture again toward the table behind me.
A very handsome (I know this is beyond the point, but I just thought that I’d point out how good looking this individual was anyways) boy had beaten us to the punch. Out of no where, a boy who also seemed to be stopping into Shaw for a quick lunch walked up to her and asked, “Is it okay if I sit with you?”
Now I’d like to point out that though it was a busy lunch with lots of people in the cafeteria, there were still a few open tables that this boy could have sat at. I know that when I go to the cafeteria by myself, I just pick an empty one and sit down, just like everyone else eating alone. But no, this boy went right up to this girl and asked to sit down. And instead of pulling out his ipod or homework, he began to start a conversation with her. When the lunch ended, I happened to glance back as the girl walked away she had the biggest smile on her face. By the smile and warmth expressed on her face, you’d think winter was over and summer was well on its way!
This boy’s small gesture had made that girl’s day. Just by witnessing his kindness, the rest of my day was changed for the better. My grudge toward winter melted like the snow on a sunny day, and my heart felt more full and warm than it had in months!
What if everyone decided to treat others with kind actions like this boy? What if everyone just simply smiled at a stranger on the street? What if everyone noticed a lonely individual sitting at a table or on a bench alone and decided to sit next to them and start a conversation? What if everyone offered the last piece of cake to their friends, rather than using their forks as weapons as they fight for a little sugar?
All days would be bright, all hearts would be warm, and just maybe the winter blues would melt away.
Written by State Reporter: Emily Swartzendruber
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