Last week, I went to a soup kitchen in downtown Dallas to do some community service work. I had never been to a soup kitchen before so I didn’t know what I was going to be doing. There were a lot of volunteers there so we all split up the jobs. Some helped serve food to the homeless, clean dishes, or greet people. Along with two other girls, I cleaned the ovens and took people’s trays when they were done eating. It was so humbling to be there because I realized that the majority of kids in college have no idea what real life is like.
What really broke my heart was when the clock struck 5pm. This marked the time when ladies, families, and children came in to eat. The children that came in had no idea that it wasn’t the “norm” to eat in a soup kitchen. They had huge smiles on their faces and enjoyed their meals. It made me so sad because one day they will realize what their circumstances are. They will realize that most children in America get home cooked meals from their parents. I hope they do not get into bad things like drugs because at least they have somewhere to go. There are other people in America that don’t have a soup kitchen to go to. They literally live off of the streets, finding food in trash cans.
Seeing this made me realize how much college students take things for granted. We do not appreciate the education we are receiving. We get upset when we have trouble with our schedules. We want the most and we want the best. I think we all need to stop for a second and realize that this isn’t life. Life is the struggle. It is getting over obstacles that stand in our way to become better people. We all have troubles in our lives but some are worse than others. We need to stop taking things for granted because we are privileged to be where we are and to have what we have.
3 comments:
Good for you for volunteering! This post is good but it gets a little confusing in the second paragraph. The sentence about the kids getting into drugs doesn't really make sense. But overall it is a good post. It really made me think about aking for granted what I have.
MAM--This is a great post, and the way you opened it really drew me in as a reader. I think CMC is right about this one sentence:
I hope they do not get into bad things like drugs because at least they have somewhere to go.
I think you mean that the soup kitchen might be one social resource that you hope will keep them from getting into bad things like drugs. But this is a minor complaint because your post was so moving and persuasive that it might make someone think about volunteering. This is what Ken Smith means when he says that good writing can help to change the world.
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