Timid. Shy. His name was Danny and he was the new kid. He sat at the table unsure of what to do next, playing with his shoestring, as if waiting for something to happen. We had been instructed to draw a picture reflecting our favorite season of the year. All the students jumped out of their seats, and rushed to retrieve their crayons and markers, giggling as they skipped along. Tense, the new student remained. His wide eyes began to fill will worry, as he looked around the classroom, scanning each student for a friendly face. He had apparently left his crayons at home, and was too afraid to ask. I stared at him, and then glanced at my fellow third graders. No one seemed to notice. No one seemed to care. I shrugged and continued my coloring adventure, but it felt wrong. I got up, grabbed my coloring utensils, walked over to the new kid, and sat down in the empty chair next to him. Excitedly, I yanked out my crayons, and simply suggested, “Would you like to use my brand new box of crayons? They are neon colors!” Suddenly, a smile stretched upon his face and his shoulders relaxed, as if the world had just been lifted off his little shoulders.
I believe in the power of sharing. The power of one individual to influence the lives of others, by simply acting selfless. We have the power to impact someone’s life by simply giving more than we expect to receive in return. From an early age, the simple idea of sharing has been embedded in our minds. Share our toys. Share our crayons. Share the snacks. Sharing means carrying as the universal icon Barney would say. I believe every human being has the ability to give and contribute something to the world, however small the deed, yet something holds us back. Greed.
I believe humans love the idea of sharing more than they actually love to share. We root for sharing, support sharing, encourage our peers, but we fail to do it ourselves. Looking away from others in need, we isolate ourselves from one another, too preoccupied with our own troubles and wants. I believe that in order to expect one to share, we must be willing to give something back in return.
Most of my memories from third grade have faded over the past several years, but I have yet to forget the look on Danny’s face. Such a simple deed, made him so happy. I believe that by sharing we have the power to brighten their day, and I believe everyone should experience this power.