random act of kindness experiment

(this has proper capitalization because it was a paper for a class as well)

thoughts: Acts of kindness are not random for me, they are normal. It is easy for me to approach a stranger and strike up a conversation, to tell someone to have a nice day, or to offer to help someone carry a large load to their house. So, instead of choosing an act of kindness that was already a part of my daily routine, I was advised to choose something outside of my lifestyle. I chose to make some chocolate chip cookies and take them door to door to my neighbors until all of the cookies were gone. While this exercise was easy for me, it still was a rewarding experience.

I prepared a plate of chocolate chip cookies and walked three doors down the hallway of my apartment complex (I know the neighbors in the vicinity of my home). I knocked on doors, but didn’t receive many answers because it was mid-afternoon, and most of the residents were in class. When someone finally answered the door, I was greeted by a young man who I have seen in some of my classes. I offered him and his roommate a cookie, and they both happily accepted. I waved goodbye to them and continued to visit more apartments. I walked across the street to the other part of the complex and was greeted by another young man, who seemed pleasantly surprised that I offered him a cookie, which he happily took and ate, saying “Have a wonderful day! It was so nice to meet you!”

As my cookie supply dwindled and I knocked on more doors, the residents seemed to get more and more joyous. One girl was really surprised to see me offer her cookies, but she even invited me inside as she took about three cookies for her and her roommates. Every single house I visited (where people were home) happily accepted a cookie and thanked me, telling me to have a nice day. It was really great to see the smiles of the residents as I walked away from their doors.

I already know what it feels like to be kind to a complete stranger, but it seems the feeling is so much greater when you present the recipient with a tangible gift, no strings attached. I feel that for my particular experiment, the results were positive because most of the residents were students, and I was presenting them with free food, delicious cookies. Socially, I think this states that young adults are comfortable with people their own age, and I feel that young adults are willing to accept food that is given to them for free. Had this experiment taken place at an apartment complex where the majority of residents were not students, I’m not sure the results would be the same. I’m still sure that most people will take a free cookie, but I’m not sure if everyone would take a cookie from a stranger.

This experiment was rewarding and was also very fun. I am honestly considering doing more things like this, because I could see how it brightened people’s days and that made my day just a little happier too.

why i chose this photo: this is a picture of a teeny tiny flower that i found while walking in a park here in corvallis. the flower was really small and simple, but it made me smile as i noticed it among leaves and grass when i walked.

question: how has someone noticed you and expressed kindness towards you?

inspiration: "even the smallest things in life can be great when recognized."

looking up

thoughts: in a society powered by technology, many of us are continually glued to it. to phones, computers, apple products, what have you, new media devices are often the main focus of our daily lives. we have to be connected somehow. but why? i conducted a little experiment last week to see how non-digital communication works, and how much of our lives are spent missing the daily happenings.

why? i am a new media major, i love to be connected too. but it is a balance.yes, our society has changed to that technology is almost mandatory and necessary, but unplugging and communicating in our god-given form should also be important.

last thursday (i haven't posted until now because i wanted to process what happened), i spent an entire day with very minimal cell phone/internet use, and walked between classes with my head up. i didn't text anyone between classes and i walked normally without my phone in hand. instead of walking with my head down, paying little attention to people, i made it my goal to communicate with people, weather it be a simple hello, or a big smile. i wanted to see what would happen.

so i did that. i walked and smiled genuinely at people. not that forced "hey" when you walk by someone, but a real smile, trying to brighten my day. at first, not many people caught my eye, but as the day progressed and i continued, i got more and more people smiling back or saying hello to me. it became joyful, and i really connected with people as i lit up their days. it wasn't super surprising, but those smiles brightened my day as well.

i was in a great mood by the middle of the day and ended up sitting down next to a person i have never seen in my sociology class before. the kid that sat next to me briefly acknowledged me and we greeted eachother. when i asked how his day was, he started to tell me that his day was not going very well. i kept inquiring, and he told me how he was sad and lonely and wondered how to be outgoing and happy and connected like i was. i was able to cheer him up a bit and he really appreciated it. it was really great to really help someone out and influence them.

i left class feeling great about how i had tried to unplug and connect with people normally, and was really excited to share how my day had gone. when i had entered class, it was dark and rainy. when i left class, i looked up and noticed a beautiful rainbow in a glowing sky. it just goes to show that you can miss a lot by being bent over your cell phone or looking at your computer screen. you can get so much more out of life just by looking up and viewing the world around you.

why i chose this photo: after a whole day of looking up and straight ahead, i ended my school day by seeing this. it was a magnificent result of my test to look up.

question: what could you gain from your day by not texting people as you walk? by not talking on your cell phone?

inspiration: "there is beauty in everything. you just have to look around to notice it."

encounters with strangers

thoughts: i awoke from a wonderful nine-hour sleep and opened my blinds to reveal a gorgeous fall day outside around 9 am this morning. i made and ate breakfast and walked outside in the warm october sunshine to class, where i tried to give my full attention to the teacher, but it was hard because the day was so pretty!

after class, i really wanted to get some coffee, but i couldn't decide if i wanted to go to a coffee shop, or the beanery (a branch of the coffeeshop that i work for) near campus. i finally decided to go to the beanery. i walked into the shop, that was fairly crowded, and ordered an americano, and talked to the cashier for a bit. he looked a bit tired and not really wanting to be at work, but i encouraged him a bit and he looked a bit more cheery after i paid for my drink. i walked towards a table to sit down and noticed two of my old bible study leaders sitting down. i talked to them for a bit, then proceeded to my table and began my storyboarding homework. the shop was full, and i was fairly conscious of all of the conversations that were taking place, hearing all the mummers floating around the shop. there was a young man fairly close to me, across my table, who was standing, leaning against the table, reading from an ipad. he was reading out loud and it seemed like he was talking to himself, so i looked at him strangely for a bit, but i determined that he was reading, so i continued with my homework.

i finished my coffee, and reached in my bag for an apple that i brought, and started to eat it. after a few bites, i noticed that the man with the ipad was staring over my shoulder at what i was drawing. he inquired what my homework was, and looked genuinely interested, so i explained to him what storyboarding was and is and showed him the first twelve drawings i had completed. he asked if he could sit down and wanted to know more about my major, new media communications, and from a few simple questions, we got into a conversation about school, life, goals, and dreams. he told me about his experiences in germany, where he stayed during the world cup that took place there a few years back. i continued the conversation talking about spain and how much i loved europe. we talked about school, life, and how we enjoy helping people.

i asked if he worked, and he said no, that he was a trust-fund kid, but enjoyed hopping around non-profit organizations and putting in time there. he shared his dream to plant a city garden in big cities and how to get people involved. he wanted to turn empty lots into something beautiful. he showed me the plan written on his ipad (a photo of a letter he had written). it was a really encouraging conversation, and when i asked why he came over in the first place, he said, " i noticed you eating an apple, and i knew you were wise. i wanted to learn more about you." some might view this as shady, but i found it pleasant, and told him so. he said that he appreciated that i opened up and said that i was very bright and exciting to talk to. we had talked almost for an hour when he said that he name was grant, and he said, "i know you're melissa." (he had looked at my homework). it was extremely interesting, and was one of the most enlightening conversations that i have had in a long time.

for me, this encounter today took away one hour of my life, a little time was lost doing homework, but overall, i learned a lot from a complete stranger, the man with the ipad and the open personality.

why i chose this photo: besides having a random encounter today, it was an amazingly beautiful fall day out.

question: if someone random came up to you and asked about your life, how would you respond?

inspiration: "smile at someone today or talk to someone you don't know. who knows what could happen!"

letters from far away

thoughts: i've recently been struggling with friends showing up in my life and today, and upon checking my email today, i received some good news. after two months of putting off writing to my host family (because i feel like i need to take a lot of time to write in good spanish), i wrote them a really nice letter about what was going on in my life and how much i appreciated them. today, i got a really nice letter from both my host family and from my little host sister, carol. my family wrote about how much they appreciated me in their lives and how their other host girls don't even talk to their family. they wrote how much it meant that i took time to actually get to know them and play with their daughters. it meant a lot, mainly because i was just myself the entire time. in addition to the letter from my host parents, i got a really special letter from my host sister, carol. she's 7 years old, and she wrote to me about how much it meant to her that i always played with her and how much i meant to her. a really special line she wrote is "[translated] i see all the pictures you drew for me, and i think you are the best sister ever!" SO CUTE. i felt so loved and so honored to talk to someone who i really changed, and someone who changed me too. i know that she along with my host family were amazing blessings in my life, and everything that has happened, happened for a reason, and we can continuously bless each other today. it is beautiful.

why i chose this photo: this girl changed my life, friends and sisters forever!

question: who has changed your life?

inspiration: "no matter the miles, a little love travels a long way."

the past four months

it's that time again, the time i get back into blogging. usually it is something that i'm very good at keeping up with, but after a whole summer of no internet, i got used to not being online as much, and therefore have not written in a while.

in this post, i'll give a general overview of what my summer was like and what i learned from the past four months. the following posts will be back to normal.

thoughts: [starting june] when i first heard back in january upon my return to the us from my study abroad that bing's employees (the cafe where i work) wasn't allowing students to work over the summer, i panicked. even thought i constantly work 20 or more hours a week, all of the money i make goes right into rent and bills, and i only end up saving about 100 dollars a month, which is barely anything. i immediately started applying for jobs, usually averaging about 3-5 job applications per day. if you do the math, i applied to hundreds of jobs over the course of six months, and i didn't hear back from anyone. the job search became my life, my dependence, and came even before classes. (how could i survive two summers in a row without work?) i even begged my boss to help me find hours somewhere else, but she told me that nothing else was available.

i was devastated. i applied and failed countless times. while this was extremely trying, i did manage to enjoy life. i got closer to many people at antioch (a guys christain house), and i became really involved with my church and made great friends and finally found a church family where i belong. after praying with them for a few weeks, i received news that i was going to be a video intern for osu and would earn 10/hour. it was so perfect! i stopped applying for jobs, because the position started in april and would end in september. it was amazing.

so i began working on my internship as a videographer for international student services at osu, and soon began to realize that while the opportunity was amazing, the group i worked for was so unorganized, unprofessional, and extremely undereducated in the subjects we worked on. but suddenly in late may, i found out that my living situation was drastically changing. i was the most scared i've even been and worked even harder than ever at bing's so after two months of that, i began the job search again. eventually, i applied at every single posting on craigslist, just hoping someone would hire me, even i was doing data entry. my dream job the entire time was to be a barista at some coffee shop, but i heard nothing from anybody.

during june, i did some work on my internship here and there, and worked about 20 hours a week on that. josh and i even made a small trip to idaho and enjoyed some time there helping and visiting with his family. i was able to spend a lot of time with friends, and even though i worked on video editing, i honestly felt the most relaxed i've ever felt. after a few weeks of just enjoying quality time with friends, going to portland, and enjoying the summer sunshine, i found out that i got a job offer at a coffee shop called the beanery! i was so excited! the only catch? the job was offered in albany, a 25 minute drive from corvallis. i happily and joyfully accepted.

i worked 5:30-10:30 everyday, meaning that i had to leave at 5 am and get up even earlier. i learned to deal with it, and eventually picked up tons of hours there and was able to make extremely high rent payment on my own the entire summer. the atmosphere of the beanery was way different than any job i was ever used to and at first it was a challenge, but soon it became way more than a job, but an opportunity to make people feel joy and to feel loved. i started to just love and help people, to go above and beyond the job requirements, and i honestly saw a lot of changed hearts and people that seemingly were never given chances, suddenly appreciated being allowed a chance. in addition to working at the beanery, i continued my internship and even picked up night shifts at the dining centers to make rent. i befriended people there that most other employees hated just because of differences. it was beautiful to see the chance i gave going a long way when those people thanked me for it later.

besides my many working hours, i was able to enjoy sports outside, bike rides, starry nights, hanging out with friends, and being 100% independent from home. overall the summer was a balance of work, hanging out, and personal growth. i learned what hard work really is, and i had to build my image at work from the bottom up. i learned financial struggle, and i learned that relying on god is the most amazing thing. he will provide for you. this summer really shaped and formed me in ways i never could have imagined. i experienced a lot and i'm truly greatful.

photos: here are a few highlights from summer (in reverse order for some reason)

josh and i at one of 6 summer weddings

dj and i reppin corvallis rec softball

my friend anika came to visit, and now she lives here!

after a long and fun bike ride, we hiked up bald hill

josh, me, katrina, and nathan at adam barrett's wedding

christy and i at a free christain concert!

jetboating on the willamette provided us with a front row seat for fireworks!

touring the rose garden in late june

my amazing graduate!

why i chose these photos: all of these photos represent the joy i had this summer and even though i was really busy and struggling financially, i managed to have a GREAT summer!

question: how was your summer?

inspiration: "no matter what you are going through, no matter how hard things are, look to find joy in everything and that joy will get you through.