Make it a Day On, Not a Day Off

Monday was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day. Since we were back in school this year for Dr. King’s birthday, Rockhurst decided to use our day off to do service. It’s part of a really cool initiative that says to make a day off a day on, and do things for others. I think that this is a really cool initiative and I am proud that Rockhurst has taken the time to be involved with it. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'". I think this quote encompasses so much of Rockhurst’s mission. This year we went to several different sites including, Gillis Center, City Union Mission, Brush Creek, and the Holy Family House. My project was going down to 39^th and Troost to pass out hot chocolate and cookies. We took the bus to get there. It was really cool getting to ride the bus, since I haven’t tried riding the metro around here. I think that it was really smart riding the bus because some students at Rockhurst (like me) haven’t taken advantage of the free bus pass that we get as a student. It was really fun giving out the hot chocolate and seeing everyone’s face because the act of kindness was so unexpected. We gave hot chocolate to some kids who were at a daycare not to far from 39^th. Their group leaders came back two more times so that all the kids could get hot chocolate. We ran out of cups so they brought their own because we had plenty of hot chocolate to go around. I really enjoyed the day of service.

My favorite part of the day was when we got on the bus on our way to our site we met a guy that was standing at our stop. We gave him a cookie and I talked to him as we rode down Troost. He told me that his day was already looking up because he was going to start his first day at a new job and he just got a free cookie. He said that he was on the top of the world and already starting his day of right. It’s moments like these when you don’t know what a small gesture of kindness means to someone. This was the moment that made the day for me. It just helped me see so much clearer the things that I can do to help others, and they can be as simple as giving someone a free cookie they weren’t expecting. So, next year on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, make it a day on not a day off.