You’re welcome

By Layton Lolo 28 December 2016, 12:00AM

These past few days were crazy.  Holidays, annoying siblings, change of plans, frustrating ‘everything’, and going completely insane; those are the highlights of the past few days, and what better time to blame it all on than Christmas.

‘Stressed’ would be the choice word I had in mind to properly explain my experience.  I want to do this and that but my parents needed my help, my siblings were useless so I had to do more stuff, after all that I felt tired of everything and just wanted to be lazy all day and all week but other things came up and the whole cycle started over again.

One moment that stood out from the rest was when I went to sleep over at a friend’s house.  I thought that finally having a break from everything and hanging out with my friends would help me relax, but it didn’t.  I still felt stressed and thinking I had to do something else or stop my plans and go where I was need just to feel like what I did was a waste of time.

Then something unexpected happened.  I was hanging out feeling stressed and taking everything for granted around me when my friend turns to me and says, “Hey, thanks for coming over to hang, I’ve been kind of down these past days and I just want to say thank you.”  Automatically I asked, “What for?” he replied with a smile, “For being here.”  And as soon as he said that all my worries and stresses vanished.  I then thought to myself of how foolish I was worrying about trivial things and not just being there because I could.  After my friend had said his piece I simply said, “You’re welcome.”

After that I had a really good time.  We laughed, we joked, we stayed up late, and we enjoyed it all.  The constant thought I had through the entire time I was there at my friend’s house now was how different I was feeling and thinking after my perspective was changed with three simple words.  It was definitely something someone would call and eye opener but I would call it more of a heart softener.  I believe if my friend hadn’t spoken up that day I would have left that house stressed and unhappy.  So to him I say, “Thank you.”

So my theme for this new experience was one I always say but haven’t really remembered it until now.  “By looking at the better half of something or someone you will find that that is all that matters.”  So here’s my new highlights of the previous weeks; I got to help others, I spent time with family and friends, I was a shoulder to lean on, I was the unexpected hero, and I grew up a little more this year.

I want to challenge you whoever is reading to make it a goal for next year or right away to be there for people who need it and to be able to say to someone with sincerity, “You’re welcome!”

By Layton Lolo 28 December 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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