More Thoughts on Kindness

2/23/2024

By Kayla L., Grade 11

This is my fourth year at Stanstead College, but I still remember the first day when I came to Stanstead. I’m sure people who were here in 2020 would remember what that year was like. It was really different from now due to the sudden outbreak of COVID-19. Everything was unorganized and unfamiliar. Due to the pandemic, my flight got delayed, and I had to take online classes for the two months of my first year at Stanstead.

I arrived at school in early November, near the end of the first semester when everyone was already friends with each other. I was an eighth-grade girl who just came to Canada alone without my family. In a situation where everything was new, I felt lonely and didn’t know where to start and what to do in this new environment.

When I was unpacking my suitcases by myself, a group of girls in my grade came into my room. They explained to me the school rules and helped me unpack. After that, they took me to dinner with them. I remember at the end of that day, I started feeling comfortable, and this was the first moment I felt the power of kindness after coming to Stanstead.

This is why I believe that kindness is the key to happiness. Based on my experience, kindness gives people positive feelings, helps them have good relationships and increases their feelings of well-being. Overall, it has the power to create lasting and positive memories.

February is the month of kindness. Any type of kindness, whether it’s holding a door for someone, giving compliments or listening to someone’s worries, is an attempt to brighten someone else's day by doing something kind without expecting a reward in return. So, today, I would like to ask all of you to show kindness to the people around you, and brighten their day.

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