By: The Griffin
Sydney: “On Tuesday, election day, I didn’t receive my sticker for voting. Later, in the day, I met with my thesis advisor, Mr. John Kryder, who proudly told me he always wears his after seeing Anthony Ray Hinton, an innocent man who spent 30 years on death row, wearing his “I Voted” sticker on his cheek and forehead the first time Hinton voted after he was exonerated. I told Kryder I had intended to wear an “I Voted” sticker but, instead, I left the polls stickerless and slightly bitter. It was in that moment, that he without hesitation, took his “I Voted” sticker off his suit jacket and handed it to me, saying he wanted me to take it as he had already taught his class that he wanted to wear it in so that he could also share with them, the photo of Hinton. I’ve kept it on my phone case since.”
Maddy: “So, I was in Italy with Hannah [Wiley] and we had just finished a six or seven hour long walk, hike, stairs expedition; and we were very, very tired. I was exhausted, obviously, but since the plane had landed, I was sick as a dog with a sinus infection and I didn’t realize how physically demanding this hike was, essentially meaning I couldn’t breathe the whole time. I broke down in the bathroom of this gelato shop because I was sweaty and gross and sick as Hell and I had forgotten shorts to go under my skirt. Not a game changer, not a necessity, but it was my breaking point for that day and she looked at me and said, “Wait, just take mine.” She began to take her shorts off under her skirt before I was able to stop her. The girl was literally trying to take the clothes off her own body to give me. It’s a little silly, but it was selfless, and that’s a friend.”
Courtney: “I just moved into the residence hall last week. It is my first time living independently and I was nervous and excited at the same time. First, Gabby [Kaderli] invited me to the dining hall with Ava [Green] and Mitch [Popovski] so I would not be alone. They welcomed me with open arms and showed me the D-Hall ropes. Maddy [Lockwood] texted the next day for dinner. I was in my night class and would not be out for another hour. Maddy told me she would wait for me and stayed in Dhall for the hour and had the brightest smile when I walked in. My friends have made me feel so welcome and made this mid-semester change so much easier than I thought it would be.”
Kaitlin: “A few weeks ago, I went to Just Buffalo’s BABEL event. Since my mom writes grants for them, we usually go together, but she wasn’t able to make it up to Buffalo this time. About halfway through the event, my phone died, and I realized I had no way home because I ubered there, but also couldn’t text anyone to pick me up. I started freaking out and was on the verge of tears when I went up to Noah, who I knew knew my mom, and said, ‘Hi I’m Kaitlin, Kathy’s daughter, and my phone died; do you have a phone charger so I can call an uber?’ and he immediately started helping me. He took me to three different people, introducing me as Kathy’s daughter every time and helping me find a charger. I’ve been having issues with my phone charging, so it wasn’t working, but then Noah ordered me an Uber so that I had a way home. I was so convinced that I was going to be walking home, and it really meant a lot that he worked so hard to help me get home safe.”
Liz: “Last year, for Thanksgiving break, I could not go home. I was really swamped with papers and homework and simply could not go home, and had to stay. I told my parents and they immediately were like, ‘Do you have a kitchen? Invite your friends and we will be there.’ So on Thanksgiving, it was me and two friends who also could not go home. It was really sweet and my parents got to meet my friends and during all of this – no one felt like a stranger. It was one of the most wholesome moments that happened last fall. This year, my parents have already planned the menu and how to maximize the kitchenette in my apartment.”
Mikayla: “This morning on my way from my car to class, I witnessed a girl jump into a neat leaf pile under a tree near Village Townhouses. It was such a sweet and pure little moment of humanity, and another girl walking opposite my direction shared a chuckle together. We often forget to smile and be unserious. Life is short and you should laugh as much as you can– I was reminded of that today. So I guess, jump in more leaf piles and embrace being human!”
Ava: “So, uh, like, my shoulder is messed up right now. And the first day of it being like this, I tried to cook for myself and immediately, it felt like someone was yanking at my neck and shoulder as hard as they could. I got super lightheaded and felt like I was going to throw up so I called Mitch, a really close friend of mine, who I knew was on campus at the time. I sounded so panicked and I told him, “I don’t feel good and I need someone to keep an eye on me for a little bit of time” and no question, he responded with “Okay, I’ll be there in a few.” He sat with me and stayed and watched me until I said I was okay and it just meant a lot that someone was willing to just sit there with me at the drop of a hat.”
Chloe: “My sister and I were standing looking through the menu of a coffee shop in Salem, trying to see if we could afford a cup of anything. We were about to turn around after we saw the prices were exceeding our budget; when an older customer passed us and opened the door for us, and as we were standing in the corner of this coffee shop he offered to pay for our two drinks and donut. We politely declined his offer but he insisted, so we took him up on the offer and ordered the two cheapest things on the menu. After we asked why he did it he simply said ‘I do random acts of kindness for people I don’t know in hopes that they will do the same.’’.
Jon: “I am a major Yankees fan. They were in the World Series last week and the week before. For game one of the Series, I was in Pittsburgh visiting one of my best friends, who has been yelling at me about how the Yankees are terrible and about how I’m a terrible person for being a Yankees fan for our entire decade-plus of friendship. We were watching the game at a bar, and I was a visible nervous wreck throughout the game. When the Yankees had the lead into the tenth inning, only for them to lose on a walk-off grand slam, I was utterly heartbroken. I sat there with my face buried in my hands for five minutes straight. My friend who has made fun of me about the Yankees for years told me: ‘man that sucks, I’m so sorry,’ didn’t say another word, and let me go to sleep in peace on his couch. I would’ve been fine if he had made fun of me about the Yankees, it was a funny result to a Yankee hater and I understand that, but I truly appreciated his thoughtfulness towards me at that moment.”
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