Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Most things in life aren’t free, but kindness is. Every day, one has the opportunity to shine a light on another’s life. Something as simple as saying “Hello” can mean the recipient’s whole day has been made. This month is all about kindness in a new year, so why not start on a positive note?

All want kindness to surround them, but many disregard how one good deed can create a ripple effect. That ripple effect creates waves, and waves of kindness can create a tsunami of positivity. Imagine if someone were to randomly buy a coffee for the person in front of them in line. Wouldn’t it make that person smile? Won’t that person be more likely to pay it forward in some way to another individual? When kindness is spread, even with simple acts, it makes the world just a little bit better.

If simple acts like these make the world better, why not partake in them? One of Central’s students chimes in on that topic. Jillian Hayward, 10, notes that her most recent encounter with a random act of kindness impacted her greatly. “I was having a bad day, and out of nowhere, someone held the door open for me when I had a lot of things to carry. It doesn’t seem like a very big thing,” she continued, “but it made my day.” It may seem crazy how a person could be having the worst day, and in an instant, that can change—all due to the compassion shown by another. The fact of the matter is, that’s just how kindness works.

Students, though, sometimes seem to forget that one of the best places to spread kindness can be right here at school, where they spend the greater part of their day. “Sometimes students will stop their work in order to help another classmate understand,” Math teacher Mrs. Dean observes. “This makes me really happy to see, because not only are they doing their work, but they are helping someone else.” Kindness is all around; one just has to seek it.

At the end of the day, it’s up to the person to decide: How will I impact the people around me? Will I be a negative force, or will I make the choice to change the world with positivity and kindness? Be careful: either answer can truly change the world.