A True Story

Choosing Kindness

It was sometime in May, I think. I just know it was hot and had been for a while. I was playing with my friends in my school in Pennsylvania, which I had been going to since the beginning of that year. One of the friends, had decided to create a game based off of a video game.

On this specific day, they had been sneaky and were hiding very well and running the fastest I had seen them run. I was searching the playground for them and just couldn't find them. The playground had four sections. All covered in mulch.

The section I stood on was the one with monkey bars. This was my "Home Base" in the game. Then, over to my left was a row of about six swings. In the center was a full play set. Multiple ways to get on it and about three slides.

Then, to my right was a large cage type of monkey bars. After first looking at the swings, cage, and down the hill behind the play area, I went over to that play set. I was very focused so I looked in the slides and found two of them, capturing them. But one of them was missing. So I decided to look under the play set at the shaded seat that I loved to sit in for my breaks during the game. But, as I turned, I saw a sight I will probably never unsee.

Tom, was stomping on something. At first, all I could see was pale. But as I walked closer, I saw that it was a student from the class next to mine! I soon noticed that anyone nearby was just turning their heads and continuing what they had been. In this moment, I seemed to be given a choice.

The choice was either, ignore the situation and save yourself from later bullying. Or, run across the half yard long blacktop and get a teacher to save the kid who no doubt have tons of injuries already. For me, this wasn't even a choice. Having been bullied all my life, I didn't care and ran towards the teachers. I knew I had to get a teacher, fast.

I arrived at the teacher area and saw the missing friend, but didn't care and said, "Tom and some of his friends are stomping another kid into the mulch!" Here this, one of the teachers followed me back to the area and caught Tom in the act. The boy, Ed, was then helped up by the teacher as she told Tom to follow her to the office. At this point, I had to catch my breath, but as I did, Ed looked at me and thanked me for saving him from Tom and his friends. The rest of the year and the year after, I was bullied by Tom everyday, but I didn't care, because I chose to help a boy instead of just stand by.

Always choose kindness everyone.