A simple act.

 I was having a conversation with someone (I know, shocking right, not all my conversations I have are with myself). Nothing out of the ordinary, but in that conversation I was reminded of someone I met years ago who had more of an impact on my life than I ever realised before. 

When I was younger my family would have Japanese exchange students stay with us on the property to give them an opportunity to experience another culture and lifestyle for a few days. One of the first groups who stayed with us would have come when I was maybe eight, and one of the students in that group was doing origami one night. I was captivated. Just like that my eight year old mind was completely obsessed and I fell in love with how something as simple as a piece of paper could become so many beautiful and intricate models. I've always been an incredibly curious person, sometimes to my own detriment, so I needed to know how it worked. I asked them to show me how they did it, and then all my hopes and dreams were crushed as mum said the dreaded words "it's past your bedtime, tomorrow is another day". I was devastated. Until the next morning anyway, when I came rushing out of bed ready to become an origami master. They showed me how to make my first paper crane, it was messy and I'm sure some of the folds were wrong, but young me was over the moon. And that moment was the start of something that has deeply impacted my life. Some time later I was given some beginner origami books, and over time I learnt new folds and got better at the ones I already new. Each new model felt like I'd just created a masterpiece and I couldn't stop folding. I loved it.

And that's a beautiful memory, but what I only realised the other day, so many years later, is that origami was one of the first things I felt like I was actually good at. I've always been insecure and felt like I've never fit in anywhere, and I know everyone feels like that to some degree, but that was almost crippling when I was younger. I didn't feel like I was good at anything, but being good at things was where I found worth in myself, and that hurt. So to have something that not only was I good at, but that not many others around me knew how to do brought courage and determination, albeit with a touch of pride, and started a journey of finding worth in myself that continues to this day. A journey that has changed over the years, taken twists and turns, been put on hold, but nonetheless still remains. That memory struck me because to that person I was just some random kid they'd never met before who they showed how to fold a basic origami model. They probably don't even remember it. But for me it had such a profound impact on my life that went as far as playing a part in shaping who I am today. 

So remember that no matter how insignificant something may seem, you never know how much it will impact someone. So let's let no act of kindness go undone, no matter how small it may seem.

It still amazes me that people actually read these, so thank you if you got this far. Take care of yourself.