True Goodness

This week, I have been reminded several times about the little things. Those moments in life that may seem so insignificant, but in fact, are the great events that come together and make up your life. Those little things that remind you about the true goodness of people.

So often through media channels, gossip, and sheer complaining, we all sometimes forget that the human spirit in all of us is filled at its core with kindness. It seems to me that it is within our society that we have become so used to using our family and friends as sounding off boards to tell them all of the idiots we encountered on the highway or at the grocery store that we forget to mention those great people who through a simple act, made an impact, even in the tiniest way.

I loved being reminded of the goodness of people this week.

It was my last week at my internship at Amway. Like most of the interns packing up, I too was sad to walk out. I have spent three summers there, loving and learning every minute along the way. Growing under great mentorship and leadership, and making so many new friends. On my last day, I walked in at around 7:50 to find that most of my team had already arrived and set out food for my last day. Doesn't that just make you want to work there forever? The fact that people would care so much as to make homemade dip and bring in food earlier than they even would come in is just beautiful. Not only that, but goodbye cards and gifts were already sitting on my desk welcoming me. Those actions of kindness will never be forgotten.

This summer, as I mentioned before, I had the opportunity to make several new friends from around the world. Learning of new cultures not only opens up your eyes to a bigger world, but I walked out of that building Friday knowing that when I am in China or India or Mexico, I know I would have a friend to show me the ropes. Last week, one of my lovely friends, Ziyu, was headed back home to China before her last school year ended. On her last day, she came by my desk, hugged me, and gave me a small gift that she bought in China. She explained that the gift in Chinese means 'good luck' and that I need to hang it either in my room or my car. She most definitely did not have to buy me that, but the fact that she thought of me kept me smiling for a long time. I hope that one day I will be able to go to her hometown and she can show me around.

As I began to close down my computer on my last day of work, I received an email from one of my intern friends, and it is probably one of the most precious emails I have ever gotten. He thanked me and told me how wonderful it was to have such an enthusiastic and passionate person working with the interns. His words were simple, but so genuine. The email consisted of about 4 sentences, and it probably did not take but 5 minutes to send to me, but yet it will be something I will think about for years to come. It always makes someone feel good to know that they have made some sort of impact on someone else's life, because sometimes you can feel like you are just going through the motions. He ended the email wishing me good luck in my travels, and told me that if I am ever in India to make sure to visit more than the Taj Mahal; because, as he said before, India has a lot more to offer than just that. Thanks, Gaurav.

Sometimes, we do tend to focus on the complaints or the rude comments and we forget the kindness of people. All of the kind words and gestures that came along the way last week showed me this, and really just made me very happy to able to be surrounded by people, near and far, who truly care and take the time to tell you so. It does not take much to say a sincere word or send a quick email, and the impact your words or small gesture will have will go far beyond the moments it took to say or do them.

That is my goal for the week; to make sure I tell people when they have done something well, or to give a genuine compliment just as the people I have spoken about did for me.

[P.S. Much more to come! The last few days have brought along some great moments :)]