On October 13th I attended Commuter on the Go Afternoon of Service with a group of friends from the honors program. This event was held in the board of trustees’ room giving ample space for anyone who chose to join. Each table had a designated craft to benefit our local community. Whether we were making birthday cards for parents who couldn’t afford to buy them for their children or dog toys for dogs in shelters with all the money available already poured into their living conditions each table had a heartwarming purpose driving them. As the holidays are rapidly approaching these gifts could be the only ones that the less fortunate receive making it all the more relevant as the holiday season is meant to be enjoyed by everyone. After the crafts had concluded the result of our work was truly incredible, tables full of gifts that would brighten up what could have very easily been a bleak time of year.

As we cleaned up our workstations we transitions into a very serious and relevant conversation. At first we jotted down three important aspects of our life and were asked to exchange our answers with someone else in the room. After this we were forced to discard one of the three items someone else had chosen and return them. This represented the loss that we all face in life and how it can affect everyone differently. This personally opened my eyes on how easy it is to lose something as dear to me as a close friend and made me appreciate what I have and all that has happened to me up to the point that I am at in my life. This event was made not only to reflect and make holiday gifts but to teach us how far a little compassion can take someone.