Always Hold The Door For The People Behind You
Hattie Getzchman
I started trying to hold the door for people when I was in 6th grade, my class was doing an activity at my old school. The idea of the activity was that you would pick a strong and weak virtue. Then, throughout the span of a couple months or so, you would work on strengthening the weak one; and continue practicing the strong one. In one class, we were talking about virtues; when my teacher mentioned her son. She talked about when he was in 6th grade he had picked courtesy as one of his virtues. One of the things he would do to practice it was holding the door for people, especially if they were holding something. That was such a small conversation but it’s stuck with me over the past few years. That’s the first time I really started practicing it, but it wasn’t cemented.
A couple months ago I was coming out of a Target with my aunt, Amy. I let the door close after me. When we walked towards my aunt’s car she said that I should have held the door open; since there was an old lady behind me. I turned around to watch her walk through the door, feeling guilty. Feeling guilty, I looked down at my shoes as we walked back to the car, especially since she was carrying things; so I took those feelings and turned them into a reminder. Holding the door for someone is my way of putting a little bit of kindness into someone’s day. It’s my way of helping with something small, even if it sounds silly. Sometimes it feels unnecessary, because the person I’m holding the door for is far away; and waiting is putting me behind where I need to be. Though the small smile or thanks I get from it makes up for the 30 seconds I missed.
You can see small acts of kindness in many places. Like asking someone if they’re okay when you can see they’re upset; sometimes people need a place to release all the bottled up feelings that are swirling inside. Or offering your seat to someone on the bus or train; or simply helping someone who’s dropped their papers. My way of offering small kindness is by holding the door; small acts of kindness spread positivity and create a happier community.
I believe in holding the door open. Not just because that one teacher told you her son does. But because kindness is the most important thing to share and the more you do it, it will inspire others as well. So next time you walk through a door, check to see if there’s anyone behind you before you let it close; or be that one person to offer your seat to the pregnant lady on the train. Life is so much richer when you make others smile.
Writer's Statement
In my This I Believe essay, I wrote about my belief in holding the door open for people behind you. In my essay I shared two personal stories about how this belief came to be. I chose these two stories because they are two main parts in my life where this belief was created or strengthened. The first story I shared was how I opened my essay. It’s the first time when I remember first thinking about it, and a big part in how my belief came to be. The second moment was when I didn't follow the belief and how I felt because of it. This belief is important to me because even though it’s small kindness, small kindness is what holds all of us together. A specific detail in my essay was in the 3rd paragraph. I mentioned many things that people do as acts of kindness, to show that holding the door open is not the only thing you can do as an act of kindness. Another detail I used was in the second paragraph. I mentioned how I felt after realizing I didn’t hold the door open for the lady; I mentioned looking back and then looking down as we walked to the car. The last detail I wrote about was how that conversation with my teacher stuck with me, and how that is one of the main starts to my belief.
The ‘This I Believe Essay’ that inspired me the most was the ‘Always Go To The Funeral' essay. It showed the importance of doing things for other people. Put yourself in their shoes, do it because they are the person going through it; not you. I made a couple main changes while typing my essay; for example, during peer review, my partner said that I didn’t need one of my paragraphs. I ended up getting rid of that full paragraph and I think it really strengthened my essay. While reading my essay I want the reader to feel inspired by my belief, and maybe take it upon themselves to do good deeds, not for themselves but for other people, even if that something as simple as holding a door.