Questions 4-6

"Describe 7 things that you're grateful for in a gratitude-journal."

"Describe a random act of kindness you did."

Something flew out of a stranger's truck while driving with my mom. We caught up to the stranger to let them know that something flew out, and they were very grateful for it. This made me feel good, because they likely would have gone a very long distance without realizing this. I hope that the stranger is well off right now.

"What are 5 life lessons you have learned? How did you learn them?"

• Every person has their own life to live

  • My mother used to say this to me, and I would try to wrap my head around the idea. Many people live centered in their own lives, never quite grasping the idea that we are each all a cog of a giant machine that moves society. It’s a very hard lesson to internalize, however I try to always keep this in mind.

• Live for yourself and not for others

  • I have gone through a long period of my life living for other people, and not for myself. Later on I realized that I would never be satisfied with that. I started going more by what I wanted, and I found a lot more satisfaction in my life.

• All life deserves respect

  • As a child, I never quite resonated with this idea. I found that although I respected the life of plants and animals around me, I was objectifying them in a way where I never truly understood their lives. However, over the past few years with the help of my friend I have grown to understand that all living things souls are just as present as my own, and I have grown to love plants, bugs and animals.

• Always work towards being better than who you are

  • I suffered when I was young. I recognized in time that it was myself that was causing these problems for myself and others, so I put forward a personal goal to always work towards being better, stronger, and more reliable than I am today.

• Never waste what you've been given

  • My parents have always told me growing up not to waste food, not to waste clothes, and not to waste the time I've been given on this earth. While I did waste a large amount of my childhood, I understood that waste should not be tolerated, and I should always appreciate and enjoy the things I've been given and live my life to the fullest I can with what I have.