When I was in the third grade, I couldn’t read my teacher’s writing on the blackboard. I would walk up the side of the room to where the front desks were, but even then I could barely make out the words. I even asked the teacher if she would write larger. Her response was,
the letters were large enough.

Back then, my hair was auburn, the color of pine needles. Behind me was a little redheaded girl with glasses. We both had more than our share of freckles.

One day, just out of curiosity, I asked if I could look through her glasses. As soon as they touched my nose a new world opened up to me. Where there was once hazy green cloud like figures, now I saw individual leaves and grass. Trees, sidewalks and bricks came into focus, and I could read the words on the blackboard!

I told my mother about my experience that day, and about a week later I had my very own glasses.

Settling into my new found world, I began to think of the little redheaded girl behind me. I began to feel a fondness for her. A successfully shared experience, physical similarity and an abundance of gratitude on my part, began to open up a new inner world for me.

The leap out of the loneliness of not being seen, especially after trying to be, opened my eyes and heart to those who are struggling with the same fate. I now believe kindness is not only a wonderful gift but a way of life.