Many people speak of the moments that will impact the rest of your life.
After these said moments happen, the way you think, the way you react and the way you see other people will all change.
But the most incredible part is that after many years of life and thousands of moments every single day, this one moment will completely transform the way you are.
I was skeptical of this assertion; I never truly thought a few short minutes could alter the way I saw the world.
But like many times in life, I was incorrect.
After classes on Friday, I like to spend my evenings volunteering at a hospital.
I mainly just clean up after meals and enjoy conversations.
The families I meet are hurting and are there to support a loved one who is not doing so well.
We watch “Jeopardy” or talk about the Gators.
Most of the time, for them it is just nice to talk about something other than what is always on their mind.
One night, a family came to sit in the kitchen area. They must have gotten something to go from a good restaurant because it smelled wonderful.
I was starving because, silly me, I covered a shift for someone and forgot to eat dinner before.
Of course, my stomach kept making noises.
I felt terrible because I truly did not want their food.
But as quickly as I tried to reassure the man I wasn’t hungry, he was already portioning the rest of his entrée on a plate for me.
I was shocked and embarrassed.
He was going to think I was doing it on purpose.
But like a good person, he thought nothing of it and stated he was going to throw it away anyway.
I thanked him and appreciated him doing that, but I did not truly grasp how incredible of a gesture it was until later that evening.
About an hour or two later, I was informed the man’s family member was not going to make it and that he found out earlier that day.
The family member had been battling an illness for months now, and it was time to say goodbye.
And there it was.
It was that moment.
You are probably thinking it doesn’t seem like much, but to me, it was so great.
This man has been through hell and back — every morning hoping for the best, only to be disappointed. It was heartbreaking for him to see his loved one pass away and not be able to do something.
It’s easy and understandable in that situation to be angry at the world.
Instead, he chose to share his meal with me.
I am sharing this story with you today because I believe we have become too wrapped up in the negative part of society.
We don’t recognize all the good in people. People still hold the door for one another, offer to sit with someone sitting alone and alert a stranger after they dropped something.
There is bad in life, but there is so much good. Remember that the next time you are walking around on campus because, in my opinion, you are all good people.
Katie Bonti is a telecommunication freshman at UF. You can contact her via opinions@alligator.org.
