As a junior in high school, I feel that I have the average life of a privileged teenaged girl. I make good grades, and I have great family and friends. I participate in an infinite amount of extracurricular activities, and I have the typical boy drama of a seventeen year old. Until recently, I have taken all of these for granted. I felt that to be happy I had to have the best clothes and go to the best parties, completely ignoring the most important things in my life. One recent occurrence in my life has altered the way I see my life.

As a member of the Ambassador team at my Catholic high school, I was recently required to work the annual Easter Egg Hunt held for the young students that attend the school for handicapped children. I was excited to volunteer at the event, but I was also upset that I would have to miss lunch with my friends and my study period. While setting up for the event, I began thinking about all the stresses in my life, ranging from my physics test to my nonexistent prom date. Finally after setting up my game, the children began to arrive.

As soon as the first child walked in with downs syndrome with a huge smile on their face, I knew I was going to have a fulfilling day. I observed the way all of these children acted towards each other and the actions that made them laugh. The young kids were so happy and thankful to be at the hunt, and they did not have a care in the world. They completely immersed themselves in the moment of playing games and finding eggs with no worries. The children were technically much less advanced than me, but their outlook on life was ten times more advanced than mine. They were perfect in that they knew that they just had to embrace the moment and forget about their disabilities. I was amazed at the children’s actions, and I will always remember that event.

Due to my participation in the Easter Egg Hunt for special children, my outlook on life has altered. I no longer am preoccupied by stresses that I essentially cannot control. I focus on the moment and try to enjoy every instance in my life. I laugh as much as I can, and I make sure that I am constantly making others feel good about themselves. I cannot even express how thankful I am towards those gifted and wonderful children, and they truly had a positive impact on my life.