Crossroads Middle School

I Changed

Benjamin Dunmire 11/22/05 6-5

What if there was a simple way for one ordinary person to change the world? Would you take the challenge if it were you? I took the challenge. I’m a typical eleven-year-old boy who tried something new. My journey began after I read an excerpt from the book Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde. In this excerpt, a twelve-year-old boy developed an idea of assisting others in need without them feeling the need to repay him in any way. The boy selected three different people to be recipients of his compassion. I decided to perform my own thoughtful deeds with three different people. I was excited for my challenge to begin.

It wasn’t easy formulating ideas for this venture. At first I couldn’t decide who my participants would be. Soon, an idea came to me. Since my parents take care of me physically and emotionally, they became my first recipients. I made a plan to indulge them with a Sunday morning surprise; I decided to prepare and serve them breakfast. Additionally, I would clean the kitchen afterwards so my mom and dad could sleep in a little and not be responsible for the morning meal or for putting the kitchen back in order. Cooking is not something I do regularly, my normal chores include cleaning my room and making my bed. I carefully prepared breakfast and invited everyone to the table. Before we ate, I mentioned that the breakfast was part of my Pay It Forward project. When we finished eating I explained the Pay It Forward notion. My family smiled, thanked me and said it was a perfectly pleasant way to begin the day. My mom recently shared with me how serving her breakfast encouraged her to help a young man. The young man was short six cents at McDonald’s and my mom just handed the change to him. He smiled at her and thanked her. While the breakfast I served didn’t have a tremendous impact on my parents life, it positively impacted that Sunday and my mom’s spontaneous decision at McDonald’s.

My neighbors are always looking out for me; they talk to me, ask me about school and sports, and sometimes give me little gifts, so I selected them as my second participants. Since Halloween was approaching and the ladies always give me a treat, I decided I would present them with a treat of their own. I checked with my mom to make sure we had the ingredients to

bake cookies, we did. Applying my newly acquired knowledge of kitchen measuring equipment from Family/Consumer Science class, I assembled the ingredients, baked and delivered cookies with my sister the next day. We regularly give our neighbors vegetables from our garden but I never made the two of them anything before and was nervous about their reaction. I handed my neighbors the cookies. After a short visit, both of them smiled sweetly and thanked me kindly for the cookies. I proceeded to explain the pay it forward notion to them. The explanation went smoothly because they are both teachers. The two of them were familiar with the book Pay It Forward and had witnessed student involvement in their own schools with the theory. My neighbors accepted the cookies gratefully which may me feel appreciated and important to each of them. The time we spent visiting also gave me feelings of being cared for. I have observed my neighbor’s caring and loving behavior for almost twelve years. The ladies take care of and love their grandchildren who are there every weekend. They are always thinking of others by offering to pick up groceries at the store or helping to shovel snow. They complete acts of kindness without even trying!

Outcomes in life aren’t always predictable. My Pay It Forward project was no exception. I’d been playing as a substitute on my friend’s baseball team. I thought I could work the team into my Pay It Forward project. Unfortunately, because of some miscommunication with my friend it didn’t work out. I had to come up with another idea.

One night my eight-year-old sister was bored. Every night she begs to play a game with someone so I knew playing a board game with her would thrill her. After I invited her to play she broke out in a broad smile and raced down the stairs like a cheetah chasing its prey. She picked out a game and we spent about twenty minutes playing Twister Moves. My sister chattered, laughed and smiled for the duration. When we finished playing, I reminded her of when I made the cookies and the two of us delivered the cookies to our neighbors. We recalled the neighbors’ pleasant reactions. I explained some details about Pay It Forward and related the project to activities she could do. For example, helping with yard work or helping someone in her class. My sister is conscious about people’s feelings and always wants to please others. I know she will find some opportunities to "pay it forward” at home. She adores trimming and pruning bushes, which is one of our main jobs this time of year. At school she enjoys tidying up my mom’s classroom at the end of the school day. Spreading kindness is a natural characteristic of my sister’s personality.

This experience has impacted my life and made me a better person. I am typically a quiet, keep it to myself type of person. Sometimes my mom even describes me as self-centered. This project made me come out of my comfort zone and communicate with other people. I witnessed how little acts of kindness made my recipients feel loved and noticed. I’m glad I took the challenge to make people feel this way. Life is about taking risks. When you take risks you change the way you live. When you change, you grow as a person. My journey has changed me. I am now more sensitive to how I can make other people feel. Will you take the challenge to make a difference?