We are thirteen weeks into the semester, the weather is getting colder, and I am feeling my burnout coming soon. The news is full of political polarization, violence, and uncertainty of what is to come, looming in the back of my mind every day. In times like this, I like to remind myself of happier, warmer moments in order to stay positive and sane. As I took a look back on my life, I’ve realized that many of my enjoyable memories stem from acts of kindness that close friends, family, and even strangers have done for me. As an attempt to spread some positivity when the sun sets at four o’clock, here are ten good deeds and sweet gestures people have done for me that I still think about today.
Surprise Flowers on Valentine’s Day
One prominent memory from freshman year of high school happened during third-period Spanish. Our school was running a fundraiser where students could send flowers to their friends, and one girl in my class had received a full bouquet of roses. Instead of keeping it for herself, she smiled as she handed out the flowers to everyone. The vibes in that class were usually dull, but her kindness made something shift in the air. I remember bringing my flower home and putting it in a cute vase on my nightstand, and feeling a little less pessimistic about going to class the next day.
Princess Treatment From My Dad
As a Connecticut resident, I have survived 20 cold, long winters that somehow feel longer and longer every year. On top of that, waking up at 6:15 AM everyday for school with below freezing temperatures truly made me resent the New England winters. However, my mornings always became a little easier when my dad would wake up early with me to start my car, take the snow off, and shovel the driveway so I could leave for school. My dad is definitely not a morning person, and I definitely got that trait from him, so it meant a lot that he would wake up and do all of these things for me in the freezing cold.
“Reasons to smile” jar
For my fifteenth birthday, my best friend made me a “Reasons to Smile” jar filled with 100 notes of memories, messages from friends, and good movies/TV shows to watch. She had been working on it for weeks before my birthday and even had my other friends and family members leave me a nice message for me to read whenever I needed a pick-me-up. It also serves as a reminder of all the fun and stupid things we did together when we were younger. We have been friends for almost ten years, and it makes me happy to think about how many jars we would need now to cover all of our memories together. This was the kindest gift I have ever received, and I keep it on my nightstand to remind myself of how lucky I am to have a friend like her.
Baskets From Camille and Clara
In life, there are many tragic, unpleasant events that take place that leave us feeling sad and down on our luck. When these things happen, our friends are some of the few people who can cheer us up. My best friends, Clara and Camille, have been there for me since the seventh grade. Over the years, they have made me numerous baskets full of candy, fuzzy socks, letters, and other heartfelt presents I have cherished since receiving them. One of the most notable baskets was when they got me a giant Disney princess coloring book after I had gotten my wisdom teeth out and was bored out of my mind. I don’t expect or need gifts from my friends, as I truly just enjoy seeing and spending time with them, but these two have always gone above and beyond with their love language of gift-giving.
Quality Time With My unpaid “coworker.”
During my sophomore year of college, I successfully found an on-campus job working for residential life. I quickly realized that this job would be easy, but pretty boring. A new friend I had met only a few weeks before said she would come visit sometimes if I ever wanted someone to hang out with. This soon turned into her visiting almost every shift I worked, and I am forever thankful she wanted to spend her free time with me. We watched multiple TV shows, doordashed DP Dough, played games, and talked about anything and everything. This helped grow our friendship even more, and we now spend even more time together as housemates. It’s just too bad she wasn’t being paid to be there like I was!
A Stranger to the Rescue
Sometimes the simplest gestures from a stranger stick with you for a long time. This moment for me occurred in an earth science lab (shoutout ERTH 1050). We were learning about water flow and were by a small river. I had to get over to the other side, and a guy, without hesitation, held his hand out for me to grab. I was shocked by this, as I hadn’t seen a man do a gentleman thing in a while (the bar is unbelievably low). Even with our neon construction vests on so we wouldn’t be hit by a car standing in the pouring rain, I was feeling a little happier to be in class that day. He didn’t think twice about something so small, but I like to think about how there are still people who have a caring subconscious to help others out.
Salon Days With My Mom
This tradition officially started my junior year of high school. I was taking a lot of hard classes, had swim practice every day, and I felt very burnt out. My mom had the idea for us to get our nails painted, as looking down and seeing pretty colors and designs always made her feel better. I am now a junior in college, and not a day has gone by that my nails are not done. What started as a simple attempt to cheer me up evolved into a meaningful activity that my mom and I continue to share together. Even with me at school and her being a vice president of a company, she always finds the time to see me and treat me to a self-care spa trip.
Treats for Every Season
Last year, I lived in West Campus on the fourth floor, with no stairs, no A/C, and a broken heater. It was certainly not the most amazing place to live, but I always felt at home due to the generosity of the girls in the next dorm over. For Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and finals week, my neighbors put out candy and snacks for everyone on our floor to take. They weren’t RAs and certainly weren’t being reimbursed, but simply two college students looking to spread a little kindness to their floormates. I always admired this cute act of generosity, and still think back to these gestures when I reflect on my sophomore year living experience.
Going the extra mile (literally)
The first year of college is an exciting yet scary time in people’s lives. I was feeling that latter more. Fortunately, my friend from high school went to college ten minutes away from me and came to the rescue. She would always pick me up to go on drives, get dinner, and hang out at each other’s dorms. She was busy with her own classes, sports, friends, and life, but she always made the time to come see me. She let me talk about my problems with adjusting to a new school and college lifestyle, and I simply don’t know what I would’ve done without her. Seeing a friendly face was exactly what I needed to push through my anxiety, and I will always be thankful to have an amazing friend like Lindsey.
A Lifelong Friend Made Through Her Campus
A couple of weeks into freshman year, I was terrified I wouldn’t make any new friends, and I would be alone my entire time at UConn. Fortunately, I had found Her Campus and joined the club to meet new people with similar interests in writing. When I went to the first meeting, I forced myself to ask a girl if I could sit next to her. She thankfully said yes, and I would soon realize that my pushing past my comfort zone to talk to someone new would be the best decision I’ve ever made. She was super kind to me, and we quickly turned into close friends. A little over two years later, she is now one of my best friends and housemates. This goes to show how two strangers choosing to talk to one another can go a long way and even create lifelong friendships.
In a world full of stress and uncertainty, it is natural to feel pessimistic and unable to see the good in humanity. However, it is so important to reflect on all the good people and memories in your life in order to outweigh all the negativity. With this in mind, I urge everyone to make their own lists of acts of kindness they haven’t forgotten. More importantly, think about whether you would be on someone else’s list, since I have proven, people will remember what you have done for them.