By Tommy Sneider
<[email protected]>

Every day, people’s lives end and other people’s lives begin. Some will be remembered for what they did, and others might think about what they could have done had they lived longer. I have often heard from other people older than me not to have any regrets about what I could have or should have done. Or, as some say in Italy, where my family is from, “Ogni mancata e’ persa,” which translates to “every opportunity missed is an opportunity lost.” However, what I have come to realize is that it’s not only what you get to experience for yourself, but also how one impacts other people’s lives.

I have always believed, and still believe, that one can make someone’s day better each and every day just by doing some small act of kindness. Even a little smile can change someone’s day. I personally do not do as much as I should to impact other people’s lives. The most I have done is to help get supplies, whether T-shirts, textbooks or any item I can get my hands on, for the Kuaba Foundation which in turn sends it to Africa for people to wear. That is relatively little to what others do each and every day. Rick Reilly, for example, used one of his articles in Sports Illustrated to help the foundation Nothing But Nets get money for nets to help kids in Africa. But making a difference and making an impact in someone’s life does not have to be material. Any one person can leave a footprint in one person’s life at one time or another.

Impacting other people’s lives can be seen through all of the different clubs, such as Key Club, National Honor Society (NHS), Best Buddies and so on, that this school offers. Some students at this school regularly volunteer around the community. Although it may not always seem apparent, any act done to make someone else’s life a little bit better has a positive impact on that person’s life.

The poem “The Dash” by Linda Ellis perfectly explains what the whole point of this column is about. People are not going to remember someone for much wealth or property or how successful one is. Rather, people will remember someone who has left a positive impact, a footprint in someone else’s life. Tommy Sneider is a reporter for the HiLite. Contact him at [email protected].