Small Act of Kindness

A part of my morning routine includes many things I dislike, my most hated being getting up in the first place. In addition to waking up early, the second routine on my list is getting the newspaper. Now, grabbing the paper was no hassle before when the paper was placed perfectly on my front door. But ever since a couple of months ago, for reasons unbeknownst to me, the paper started appearing on my sidewalk. The sidewalk is at least 20 feet away from the front door and the fact that this change took change took place without any notice was upsetting.

I was first angry at the newspaper delivery people. Because of them, I actually had to pay attention to my attire and change my Hello Kitty pajama shirt when I stepped out to get my paper, in fear of being seen by my neighbors. After voicing my opinion to my mom, I started thinking about how lazy I had become. I then became ashamed at the sedentary lifestyle I had become accustomed to and decided to embrace this change to my benefit. The next morning, after I changed my t-shirt and made sure I looked okay for any possible encounters, I boldly opened the glass screen door. I took a step outside and tried to find the neon wrapper on my sidewalk but no matter how hard I squinted, the newspaper was not there. After a sigh of frustration, I slowly turned around to head back inside when I noticed an orange glow.

I looked down and found the newspaper on my front door again. Confused, I quickly glanced around at my neighbors’ houses and found the newspaper on their sidewalks. That is when I realized that my mom, before going to her morning spin class, had taken the time to place the newspaper on the front door to save me some time. I was really touched by her small act of kindness. She did not have to move the paper for my sake but she did and I realized how caring people can be. With a smile on my face, I grabbed the newspaper and headed back inside.

As I continued with my daily morning routine, I realized how the small things in life, as unimportant as they may seem, are the most important. Our society is obsessed with fame and fortune but if we strip away all the material goods and designer names, what is left?