Beeler 1

Jacob Beeler
Ms. Parrish
English 1010
5/26/14
The Importance of Kindness
I did not know illia! "icholes# and he did not know !e. $e li%ed in one o& the s!aller
ho'ses on !( block and he scarcel( ca!e o'tside. $is (ard was in a state o& disre)air and his
ho'se looked old and ding(# so all o& the children in !( neighborhood ass'!ed that he was scar(
and ke)t their distance &ro! his ho'se as !'ch as the( )ossibl( co'ld.
I was an e*tre!el( ti!id twel%e (ear old# and while I didn+t ha%e cri))ling social an*iet(#
I reall( hated to talk to new )eo)le. Beca'se I hated talking to new )eo)le I es)eciall( disliked
acti%ities s'ch as &'nd raising &or school# or sco'ting,&or,&ood. -he idea o& going door to door
and talking with strangers did not sit well with !e.
It was a bea'ti&'l .at'rda(. -he kind o& da( that wo'ld !ake an( child want to go r'n
aro'nd bare&oot 'ntil the s'n went down. -he da( was )er&ect# at least it was going to be 'ntil
!( dad in&or!ed !e that it was the da( we were s'))osed to )ass o't sco'ting,&or,&ood bags.
-he last thing that I wanted to do was s)end the )er&ect .at'rda( l'gging aro'nd st')id )lastic
bags to e%er( doorste) in the neighborhood. -o !ake !atters worse# /'st when I tho'ght that the
da( co'ld not )ossibl( get an( !ore abhorrent !( dad showed !e the list o& ho'ses we were
assigned to deli%er to. I was set on a direct collision co'rse with the scariest ho'se on the block.
ith each gr'eling !in'te o& !( .at'rda( !orning that )assed# !( &ate beca!e !ore and !ore
ine%itable. 0s we a))roached Mr. "icholes ho'se I co'ld &eel !( heart beginning to )o'nd &aster
in !( chest# !( brain scra!bled &or a reason to ski) the scar( ho'se# there had to be so!ething
Beeler 2
that I co'ld tell !( dad to get !e o't o& this night!are. .adl( all o& !( atte!)ts &ell short and I
was &orced to walk the see!ingl( in&inite )ath to the &ront door. I 'nwillingl( raised !( ar! to
the doorbell# and 1'ickl( )resssed it# I i!!ediatel( began to co'nt down &ro! thirt(# I knew that
i& there were no answer b( 2ero !( dad wo'ld allow !e to hang the bag on the door and
contin'e on to the ne*t ho'se. -hree... -wo.... 3ne... 4er5 -he door sw'ng o)en and there he
stood# the !an that I tho'ght was going to be the !ost terri&(ing )erson on the )lanet was
standing across &ro! !e with the a bea!ing s!ile. 6hat can I hel) (o' with (o'ng !an78 he
said cheer&'ll(. I was astonished# the !an that we had all grown ') &earing was kind and /oll(. 0s
I started to e*)lain the )'r)ose o& sco'ting,&or,&ood to hi! we act'all( str'ck ') a con%ersation.
$e told !e that when he was a kid he lo%ed sco'ting and asked !e i& I was )lanning on getting
!( eagle sco't. 0&ter !eeting hi! &or the &irst ti!e I began to )'r)osel( go back to his ho'se &or
an( &'ndraiser or sco'ting acti%it(. 0s I got to know hi! I learned that his wi&e and son had both
le&t hi! and he had been %er( lonel( &or the )ast &ew !onths. 0s o'r &riendshi) grew I started to
!eet with hi! on a weekl( basis to hel) hi! with (ard work and in t'rn he hel)ed !e with
an(thing I needed &or !( sco'ting. ill later told !e that I was one o& the )eo)le who hel)ed
hi! to &eel good eno'gh to get in%ol%ed with the co!!'nit( again. $e began to go o't !ore and
e%ent'all( !et his new wi&e. $is (ard is to this da( one o& the nicest on the block.
Mr. "icholes hel)ed !e to change. -alking with hi! and beco!ing his &riend reall(
hel)ed !e to reali2e that talking to new )eo)le isn+t a bad thing. M( co!)an( and &riendshi) also
hel)ed hi! to t'rn his li&e aro'nd and start tr'l( li%ing again.
Be&ore I !et Mr. "icholes I was so scared o& talking to strangers that I onl( had a &ew
&riends. $is &riendl( de!eanor ta'ght !e that !eeting new )eo)le can be a good thing and that
(o' can not ass'!e that (o' know a )erson /'st beca'se the( look or act di&&erentl(.
Beeler 3
B( )'tting aside social stig!as# we can better o'r own li%es as well as the li%es o& others.
e can ne%er know what a si!)le hello or s!ile to a )assing stranger can do# so we sho'ld
alwa(s show the sa!e le%el o& res)ect and kindness to all h'!an beings.
-he lesson that illia! "icholes ta'ght !e that da( changed the wa( I will think abo't
strangers &or the rest o& !( li&e. $e hel)ed !e to reali2e that regardless o& what a )erson looks
like# how the(+%e been labeled# or e%en what the(+%e done# the( are still a h'!an being and the(
deser%e a chance. -his li&e lesson has hel)ed !e thro'gho't !( entire li&e and will 'ndo'btedl(
be )assed down to !( children in the &'t're.