By Elijah Sterling

I was born and raised in Georgia. As such it is in similar fashion, I was brought up on the values of human kindness. Thus, in my essay I implore the multitude of forms and reactions it can cause.

I believe in human kindness. Even though, it may seem at times to be as rare as a blue moon, it can be easily found; with only so much as a proper reference point.

A common misconception of kindness is that it is as drastic as the act of donating a life sustaining organ (i.e. kidney) to a stranger, but it can also be as simple as a wave to a bus load of kids.

To continue with my metaphor of kindness being as rare as a blue moon, I would like to take this chance to present two different definitions of such; so as to prompt the listener to a higher understanding of my purpose. First, a blue moon (in the rare sense) can be defined as when the moon takes on a blueish hue in response to blue vapors, whereas another much more common occurrence of a blue moon, is one of a second full moon in one calendar month.

While every day I may not witness someone donating a kidney, every day without fail – I am able to witness a simple act of kindness. On one such occasion it took place when a young women; wearing all blue, from the sky blue shirt draped over shoulders, to the standard issue blue jeans, with eyes of a brown chestnut color that matched her hair, with a perfume that smelled of a sweet flower that one could imagine adorning an entire field with.

The young women complimented me for my shirt, and truth be told I wasn’t a particular fan of that shirt (as it was laundry day and I was reaching at the bottom of the barrel). But, with that one small kindness for the rest of the day my walk was filled with just a touch more bravado.

This would in turn result in me playing a small yet benevolent part in other people’s lives throughout the day; an almost hasty fashioned “return of compliment” so to speak. As I was unable to thank the women in sky blue before her departure. Thus, throughout the day I would become the bearer of optimism, compassion, and most of all human kindness.

My point being, that despite the act ensuring no return value for the women in blue, the small act of kindness inspired an avalanche. Examples include me lending a pen to the girl next to me in religion, who was wearing a cozy brown sweater, holding the elevator in my dorm hall, for two guys wearing matching polo shirts.

Thus, in summary, while an occurrence as a moon with a blue hue deserves awe, so does the commonplace second full moon. As an organ donor may be as rare as a literal blue moon, it can also be much more common, as say a second full moon. That is why so long as we are open to kindness, and willing to pay it forward, kindness will always be as common as a blue moon.