Reaching Out
By Hansa Bhargava, MD
I love Halloween. When I was a high school student I really looked forward to dressing up, going to parties and having fun. There was always a big Halloween bash at our school, and my friends and I would go find costumes together and have a blast at the party.
I remember a girl that didn’t seem to enjoy our school celebrations very much. She sat in front of me in English class. She wore glasses, was slightly overweight, and always knew the answer when a teacher asked a question. I’m sure that she got straight A’s, but she didn’t look very happy. She was always alone, and I often saw her walking home all by herself after school.
One day, I found her sobbing in the girls’ bathroom. I didn’t really know her, and I wasn’t sure what to say. So I sat down beside her and after a few minutes she started talking. She hated school and hated her life. Her parents were going through a divorce and she didn’t have anyone to talk to. It turned out that she was really lonely and didn’t feel like she had any friends.
I felt really bad. Here I was, enjoying my friends, my family, shopping, and parties; meanwhile this girl sitting right next to me was going through a really difficult time. That day, I invited her out to the mall with my friends. We got to know her, and do you know what? She was really nice and a lot of fun.
Do you know someone like this in your class? Someone who may be lonely and feel left out of things?
Try reaching out to them—you may end up helping someone out, and could make a good friend in the process.