Good Life Award - Winners
2006
Good Life Award Writing Contest
Honorable Mention
Sloane Weed
8th Grade, Tower Heights Middle School
| "Seize the Day" Dottie Yeck believes that being good and doing good will result in having fun and being happy. She is exactly right! Being good doesn’t mean always playing it safe though. You should seize opportunities to try new things as often as you can. This could result in finding a new talent or activity that you love. You might even be able to use this new talent to contribute to your community and help others. When I worked on my Girl Scout Bronze Award, a couple of friends and I used our talents to help shut-ins. We wanted to give them a pack of blank note cards so they could keep in touch with friends and family. I drew a variety of pictures for the front of the cards and my friends used their talents with computers to copy my pictures and make cards out of them. We also baked cookies to include with our note cards. Next, we delivered the cards and cookies. When we did this it was obvious that the people we visited really enjoyed the company. One ninety-six year old woman was not in her room when we visited and sent us a really kind thank-you note in the mail. When I was younger, a poster hung in my room saying “Friends Come in All Flavors”. She showed me that friends come in all ages and I can learn from everyone. Kindness and service have ripple effects. You can see examples all around you. My aunt is getting a masters degree because of a Bill and Melinda Gates scholarship. In turn, she would like to be a librarian in an inner city school. She’s hoping to pass along her love of books. My brother helps build houses with Habitat for Humanity every summer. The people have all had young children who will now have better lives. Last summer, I was helping fold and sort clothes at a resale shop in Atlanta with my church confirmation class. We saved the community volunteers’ hours of work so they had time for other programs. No act of kindness is too small and no person is too small to do an act of kindness. One way to enhance your life and avoid negativity is to appreciate this wonderful life. Persevere through tough times and focus on your goals. There are many things in life that you don’t have control over. Everyone has different skills and someone is always going to be better at something. If you stretch yourself to your full potential, you’ll find your gifts and succeed. You do have control over how hard you work and how you spend your time. You shouldn’t waste time thinking about the bad things or you might miss out on the good. Don’t forget to do things that make you happy because it’s hard to make other people happy if you’re not. Remember, it’s not what you have but what you do with what you have! |