During my first weeks here at Coronado, it became painfully obvious to me that we have a trash problem. As I found my way around campus, the amount of trash laying on the sidewalks and next to trash cans (literally beside the trash cans) was surprising to me. Not only is throwing trash away simple, it shows respect for the community and the environment. In my short time here, I have helped create a KUGR-TV PSA on throwing away trash and have picked up other people’s trash as well. However, I am not here to harp on throwing away your trash. I am here to tell the story of a group of young people who went the extra mile, literally and figuratively, and did something about the trash problem and to talk about how we can go the extra mile in our lives too.

About two months ago, (yes, I am not always me, but better) I was presented with a picture of students who collected a huge bag of trash. This may sound stereotypical of some club or organization trying to beautify the community or just accumulating community service hours, but it was in fact a group of athletes. While out running, three young ladies saw the amount of trash along the trail, and instead of ignoring the problem, they fixed it. At the end of their run, they noticed an unstapled paper scattered around. As they went to pick up the paper, they noticed how much trash was in this area and proceeded to pick it up as well. While collecting the trash, the girls actually found an entire trash bag full of garbage that had been thrown alongside the trail and put the other trash they had picked up into the bag. This was so inspiring to me because these runners were not planning to perform this act of kindness but by doing so they improved themselves and the world around them. These athletes were truly being themselves, but better.

The beautiful thing about random acts of kindness, is that they are in fact random. You don’t have to take time to plan or coordinate anything, they simply happen. Acts of kindness are not limited to only picking up trash or holding the door open for someone, the possibilities are endless. Dozens of articles list ways that we can improve others lives and our through small acts. These ideas range from small things like putting change in a parking meter that you can see is almost expired or reading to a child, to big things like volunteering at Habitat for Humanity and building a house or cooking a meal for a friend. No matter what act you choose, it is a win-win. You help others and in turn help yourself. In fact, multiple studies have found that random acts of kindness can reduce blood pressure, anxiety levels, depressions levels, and improve your outlook on life. These small positive acts actually have big positive impacts on you and others.

The world we live in today likes to focus on the negative. Anytime you listen or read the news we hear about stabbings or economic crises or environmental issues. The truth is though, that the world isn’t all bad. People go out and do great things everyday and they don’t always get recognized for their kindness and positivity. Taylor Dutton, sophomore at Coronado, is one of the girls that helped picked up trash and she said “Every time we run we pick up trash now.” Continuing this simple act not only improves the environment but raises the morale of the community as well.  I encourage you to research random acts of kindness and be inspired by the hundreds of people throughout the world that have found ways to make the world a better place. I also hope that I brought you some good news today and inspired you to be positive, be kind, and to be you, but better.