Editorial: Kindness goes a long way

February is a month of celebrations with Black History Month and Valentine’s Day leading the way. With the happiness and smiles that come from this month, it can also lead to sadness. There are so many factors that affect people during the winter months, whether it be seasonal depression, Valentine’s Day loneliness thoughts, or other outside factors. According to healthmatters.org January and February are the worst months that people are affected by seasonal depression. Hard hitting thoughts can take a toll on people and should be noticed. Being in high school on Valentine’s Day can lead to upsetting thoughts. It’s seen in the movies and in real life, all the things people look forward to when transitioning to high school, and a relationship is on the list for many people. Seeing couples in the hallways gift giving on Valentine’s Day can be sweet but also upsetting to watch. TikTok is filled with sad videos about Valentine’s Day, when the day can be special for everyone.

Kindness comes in and saves the day. The best way to lift a person’s spirits up is by being kind. There are so many ways to show kindness whether it be complimenting someone, buying someone something, or even sitting down with someone and talking about their feel-

Jaliyah Bunkley (9)

“I think showing kindness is about showing empathy and compassion to others and making people feel welcome and comfortable.”

Harper Mangine (11)

“I think I show kindness through acts of service. I go out of my way to help people especially with school work.” ings. For example, on TikTok there was this video of a girl saying how another girl stopped her in the hallway to say how pretty she was, and the result of that compliment was the girl complimenting a bunch of other people to make their day just like the random girl made hers. People don’t realize how words can truly make a difference and change the way a person’s day is going.

How do you spread kindess?

Diamond Randolph (10)

“I love to give my friends words of affrimation because I love to see my friends with a positive attitude.”

Patrick Holton (12)

“I lend people money when they need it so they can have a better day. One way I do this is by giving people money for coffee cart.”

Followers will be chosen each issue to win a Zaxby’s gift card from @Zaxbys591SMP, This issue’s winner is James Addis (11).

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This random act of kindness led to a trend of complimenting others in order to make them smile.

If you feel like being more active with spreading kindness, you can participate in creating a positivity wall. Different clubs at Marietta have participated in this act almost every year, and this year this act was taken to A.L. Burruss. The positivity wall is filled with sticky notes written with positive affirmations. A person takes one off the wall whether they are feeling down or even just to be used as a reminder. Acts of kindness don’t have to cost anything because it’s about the thought that counts. Since Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a special day for everyone, give gifts to your friends on Valentine’s Day. You can even buy small gifts and hand them out to anyone you see without one.

Taking your time out to spread kindness doesn’t only make other people feel better, but it should make yourself feel better knowing that you made an impact. You never know what people are dealing with on the inside so it’s important that we take the initiative to be kind. These small acts help the world to be a happier place for everyone.

Random Acts of Kindness Day

Scan here and spread kindness. Share someone you think is kind or share how has someone shown you kindness. Some will be shared on Good Morning Marietta and @mhspitchfork

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