Corey F., Incarnation Catholic School
Having Fun and Feeling Good
“Fun.” What do you think of when you hear this word? Do you think of being with your friends out by the pool? Or playing your favorite sport? How about screaming and yelling on roller coasters? Or maybe even playing your favorite video game? All of these thing are fun, but truthfully, most things that we find fun only benefit us. However, there are many ways to have fun and help improve the world at the same time. These things are not easy to find though, and you must be committed to helping others for the action to be fun. But when you finally put all of your effort into helping other people besides yourself, you will truly feel happiness, and yes, have fun while doing it.
The first time I truly had fun helping others was in the summer after sixth grade. My mother had recently discovered a church in Dayton called,” Target Dayton”. Target Dayton is a nonprofit food pantry and church for poor and homeless people and families in Dayton.
When my mother decided to volunteer and serve at Target Dayton, she forced me to go with her. I honestly did not want to go at first, I would have rather stayed home and slept, than help people in need. I feel terribly for this now, but at the moment, I would’ve done anything to stay home that day. When we got there at 9:00 in the morning, I would say about 50-75 people were already there, and keep in mind that the service starts at 10:00. I was astonished by this, and it also felt like reality had just slapped me in the face. I was lucky enough to be born into a home with a roof over my head, food on my plate, and a family that loves me. I would never go somewhere an hour early just to get food, but for these people, this is their only choice. At that moment I realized that I was being so ungrateful and disrespectful. I had to help these people, and not because I had to, now, I wanted to.
After the church service we hurried downstairs so that the hungry men and women upstairs didn’t have to wait any more than they already have. I was assigned a table, and I was ordered to serve the food to whoever sat there. Once everyone got there, I began gathering food and putting it on trays for people. I felt so pleased with myself, I was helping other people, and I enjoyed doing it. I know that anyone else could have done my job that day, but I like to believe that I made a difference in those peoples’ lives, not by what I did, but how I did it.
I have never complained about helping other people since then, and I never will again. Because if you’re helping someone else, and enjoying it, that is undoubtedly, the best feeling in the world.