People said that learning physics would change the way I looked at the world, but I didn’t think it would be like this. Physics class was no joke within the first couple weeks I was going in before school each day to get help. One day when I was in there working on a lab Mr. Bailey told me to come to his room after class. I had no clue why I was asked to come but I am so glad I decided to go. That was the first cheetos club meeting and that one meeting changed the way I look at everything. 

I have struggled with anxiety and depression for a couple years now, and in the midst of the darkness you can’t find any reason what you are going through is good. This group proved that thought wrong. I have been able to take all that darkness I’ve experienced and turn it into light. I know first hand the little signs of someone slipping and needing a helping hand. The way you look at something is one of the most important aspects of life. You can look at the big picture or just focus on a small piece. Look inward and at what you need or look around at those surrounding you. Look at the surface of an issue or look down deeper. Look at the lies presented or search to see the truth. The way you look at something has nearly infinite outcomes. And no two people can look at something the same. Everyone has a different kind of vision. We all look at something else and that can be such a gift. My vision had been molded to see the worst in everything for the longest time. The glass was half empty. It did not matter what the glass was but I found a way to see that it was empty. 

That vision turns out not to be so bad after all. It has been molded a little more now as I have started recovering. Instead of making everything glass empty, I look and can see the ones that truly are. I can see the pain and the struggles in others. I notice the people who are silent but still need kindness. Kindness isn’t just something we need to give to the student we can see crying, all people need it. More often than not those who need it most are the last ones to speak up and ask for it. It can simply be waving to someone who thinks they are invisible. Asking what a group member thinks and listening to what they say. I have learned that a kind heart and three words can save a life. Genuinely ask “How are you?’ The power those words have when you mean them can make someone’s day better and show that somebody does matter.

Now looking around and finding that pain isn’t easy. It can hurt at times. Sometimes you don’t know how to help. Other times you try to and get pushed away. Over time after seeing so much dark your own light can start to disappear. But this group is like the sun. So much kindness is being spread that things start to brighten up again. When looking at the big picture you still only notice the dark spots they will bring the kindness to you. Cheetos Club helped me see that something I thought was so negative and terrible was actually a gift. A gift I could use to make a difference and change how I saw the world.