By Liliana, Catholic Partnership Schools Healthy Courier | Over the summer of 2023, I went to the store to buy a few items. My mom gave me $10 to buy milk, bread, flour, and a soda. Before I left, she said I could get syrup with extra money. I arrived at the store and picked up the groceries.

I was uncertain if I would have enough money to buy the syrup, so I put it in my basket and headed toward the cashier. She scanned all the items, including the syrup, totaling about $12. I made sure I didn’t have any extra dollars on me, and when I didn’t, I told her I wouldn’t be purchasing the syrup.

A man waiting behind me came up and handed the cashier a $5 bill. He looked at me and said I didn’t have to pay him back, and it wasn’t a big deal. I looked up at him with a smile and thanked him for his generous donation.

This little gesture made my week. Sometimes, the smallest action, like asking someone about their day or even hugging them, can positively affect their entire day or even week. Try your best to pay attention to the little things and make everyone around you feel loved. One act of kindness can inspire others to do the same, and eventually, a whole community will be spreading kindness.

To this day, every time I pour syrup on my pancakes I think of this little interaction, and how happy it made me feel. Sometimes the most unimportant things to you can mean the world to others.

—Liliana is in eighth grade.