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from ,;, on 2002-01-09 20:10 [#00067774]
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One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw >a kid from my class was walking home from school. His >name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his >books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring >home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." > >I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football >game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I >shrugged my shoulders and went on. >As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running towards >him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his >arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses
>went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten >feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible >sadness in his eyes. > >My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and >as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw >a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, >"Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He >looked at me and said,"Hey thanks!" There was a big >smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed >real gratitude. > >I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where >he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him
>why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to >private school before now. > >I would have never hung out with a private school kid >before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some >of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I >asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my >friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the >more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my >friends thought the same of him. > >Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the >huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, >"Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles >with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and >handed me half the books. > >Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best >friends. When we were seniors, we began to think >about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I >was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be >friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He >was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business >on a football scholarship. >Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the >time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for >graduation. > >I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and >speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He >was one of those guys that really found himself during high
>school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. >He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. >Boy, sometimes I was jealous. >Today was one of those days. I could see that he was >nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back >and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me >with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and >smiled. "Thanks," he said. > >As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and >began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped >you make it through those tough years. Your parents, >your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly >your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a >friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I >am going to tell you a story." >I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the >story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill >himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had >cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do >it later and was carrying his stuff home. >He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. >"Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from >doing the unspeakable." >I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, >popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw >his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same >grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's >depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With >one small gesture you can change a person's life. For >better or for worse. Think about your actions! > >life puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another
>in some way. Look for Good in others. > >You now have two choices, you can: >1) Pass this on to your friends or >2) Delete it and act like it didn't touch your heart. > >As you can see, I took choice number 1. "Friends are angels
>who lift us to our feet when our wings have >trouble remembering how to fly." > >There is no beginning or end..Yesterday is history. >Tomorrow is mystery. >Today is a gift.
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Jimmy
from DE on 2002-01-09 20:16 [#00067775]
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that's pretty cool if its real heard it before
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Ceri JC
from My house in Pontypridd, Wales, UK on 2002-01-09 20:44 [#00067783]
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I got that in a chain e-mail, nice sentiment. Are you REALLY the guy/guyess who started it?
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Earface
from from on from on from on on 2002-01-09 21:08 [#00067801]
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This reminds me about something I read the other day that made me think about the attitude I have sometimes.
It was by Leibniz, a 17th Century philosoper:
Our greatest failure has been the sectarian spirit that imposes limits upon itself by spurning others.
I know this may sound a little out of context (which it is - this passage refers to a theory of knowledge) but I think it has much grounding in practical ethics as well.
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Earface
from from on from on from on on 2002-01-09 21:09 [#00067802]
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Ceri:
do you go to university in Wales?
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Ceri JC
from My house in Pontypridd, Wales, UK on 2002-01-09 21:13 [#00067804]
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Yes, I go to the university of glamorgan, where I sometimes post from.
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Caserol Joe the Chubby
from Minneapolis on 2002-01-09 21:26 [#00067813]
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That's really great. I don't think whether it happened or not is important. It could happen, and that's all that needs to be known.
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The_Funkmaster
from Newfoundland, Canada on 2002-01-09 22:13 [#00067828]
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yeah I read that before... very touching...
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titsworth_courier
from washington, dc on 2002-01-09 22:15 [#00067829]
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thanks, i liked that a lot.
i must say though it's sad how one can only be "cool" is another cool person thinks they're cool. sad but true. that's why i hate starting over. i refuse to be anyone but myself, so it takes me at least a year for the above to happen. right now i'm hating the kids at my college and i think i'm going to transfer out to a bigger school next year. i'm really looking forward to going back (it's been really boring on break) but i realized today that i am just looking forward to my classes, my radio show, and the freedom of not having to live at home. i don't like the kids at all. i sit by myself for meals half the time. if i wanted to force myself to make friends i could, but i'd have to compromise my personality and interests which is just not something i believe in.
[end rant]
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The_Funkmaster
from Newfoundland, Canada on 2002-01-09 22:24 [#00067832]
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yeah man, never compromise who you are... I was friends, well I hung out I should say, with a guy who did that in highschool... he seemed so fake that it made me sick... I respect people who are real, who are themselves...
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Ophecks
from Nova Scotia on 2002-01-09 22:49 [#00067842]
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I'm such a loner, that kind of scares people. My mom literally told me the other day to go out and socialize more, I can tell she's afraid I'll something like that kid was going to do, and I won't. I'm going to go out and make new friends for the sake of it, I'll find my niche eventually.
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The_Funkmaster
from Newfoundland, Canada on 2002-01-09 22:52 [#00067843]
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I had a big falling out with basically my whole close circle of friends a while ago, and so I've been making new ones and stuff... but it sucks, cause I knew those guys for ages... ah well, hopefully we'll all make up sometime... it was all over a girl too... stupid eh...
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Ophecks
from Nova Scotia on 2002-01-09 22:57 [#00067847]
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Yup, same with me, my best friend for years ditched me because I wouldn't get into drugs with him.
And yeah, girls can be the spawn of the devil! ]:-D
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dug creedy
from yelsewhere on 2002-01-09 23:07 [#00067850]
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its 'the PRESENT is a gift'.. not 'today'
> 'present' meaning 'gift' also literally, therefore having incresed poetic resonance.
> But hey don't beat me up for being a nerd...
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titsworth_courier
from washington, dc on 2002-01-09 23:11 [#00067851]
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i hate girls. pretty but petty. i've tried to like them, but all the ones i'm around come from affluent families and they're just so fake, i can't stand the idea of being around them.
as for the guys on my floor, i'm in my first year at this school and the first 3 months went well until i found out how petty THEY are. they're shallow, gossipers, and what's more, boring. they weren't interested in me because i am true to myself and i say exactly what i think, not to mention my different interests in music and movies than them (they like boy bands (believe it or not!), teen pop singers, r&b, and radio rock). so i've been playing it solo since then. i would love to make more friends at my school but i'm just really discouraged by my floor. it's only easy to make friends with floormates. at my school it's practically impossible to make friends after the first month. that's one of the reasons i plan to transfer out. the other reason is the school is way too expensive. i'll miss my radio show but i'll make sure to go to a school of equivalent quality.
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Ceri JC
from My house in Pontypridd, Wales, UK on 2002-01-09 23:56 [#00067865]
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EARFACE:
Are you in Wales too?
OPHECKS:
Come to Wales/England, I'll be your friend!
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Ophecks
from Nova Scotia on 2002-01-10 00:09 [#00067873]
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Actually, I plan on moving to England when I'm settled down, I have English blood. There's always a chance I could go to college there, too, I'll see how it turns out.
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wayout
from a plastic bubble on 2002-01-10 05:34 [#00067932]
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yeah, i ended up going to college near where i live...so i still live at home..
all the kids at my school seem cool enough..but living at home..sometimes an hour away from school ..keeps me out of the whole campus social scene..
i may transfer down to the school i was originally going to go to in boston at some point...just for the sake of going somewhere else..living away from home..
anyways..the story was very good, regardless of whether it was true or not..
it was true in that a simple act of kindness can affect someone more than you may think..
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Ouakha
from UK on 2002-01-10 10:58 [#00067990]
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Aye! You guys all seems a lot younger than me, still in school / college!
Funny though I have similar problems! Just moved house from Glasgow, Scotland to London (about 450 miles difference) & left behind the best bunch of friends I ever had (& what's worse I was getting to know more nice people, having broken through some invisisble barrier behind which nice, intelligent, firendly, open people dwell).
Now I have one friend in London (who also moved from Glasgow at the same time co-incidently) who lives on the other side of the city so is about 2 hours away. People I know number about 6 (out of a population of 8 million!!). Few people to go clubbing with, few to meetup with at the weekends (work & commuting times means its impossible for most people in London to meet up during the week). I keep in touch with my friends in Glasgow. They seems to be buring brighter than before I left! here's a sample of email from one
"God I'm absolutely knackered, smoking far too much stuff last night....with my new friend Colin (whose lovely!) Judy's b'day drink tonight and then I'm off to Edinburgh after work on Friday to help my friend Claire move house....how am I going to cope Ed?
I need a holiday. Xmas & New Year was good but over indulgent in every sense...so you will have to go easy on me when you come up to visit, as I fear I may be in a crumpled heap if life continues at this pace"
Unfair!
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/-T|K|R-\
from (.|.) on 2002-01-10 12:06 [#00068003]
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wow I started a great thread, lol 8O)
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Ouakha
from the Marie Celeste on 2002-01-10 14:25 [#00068043]
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Don't eat your chickens before they hatch
Entrophy claims everything
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Resident Evil
from Australia on 2002-01-10 15:50 [#00068066]
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That's a great story with a great meaning, I'm sending it off to all my friends!
Being someone who was picked on a lot at school I could relate to the character, and the wonderful friendship (of course I didn't think about killing my self but you know what I mean).
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