What does that even mean?
Why is she writing on the most cliche topic ever?
Does she know she didn't put a space between "reach" and "out?"
What am I reaching for?
We talked about reaching in yoga the other night...
Is this another one of her "Jesus blogs?"
The list of questions as to why I'm writing this goes on and on. Some might know, some might not, and some probably just don't care. I respect that. It is pretty cliche to talk about reaching out to people that are hurting, people facing tough times, and those that are just not living the greatest lifestyle. But what about reaching out to people around you? Those people that look like they're legitimately alright? What about your friends? Your family? Do you ReachOut to them? The answer is, most likely, a big fat NO. Although this post won't be based on faith explicitly, the applications are for everyone no matter what race, gender, creed, or religion. Everyone should ReachOut.
The reason I mash those two words together on purpose is because they belong together. You cannot reach unless you reach out. You can reach up, down, to the side, etc. But you are always reaching away from yourself. It's an action, a verb. It's a lifestyle. It's something you do to support what you believe in. It is an act of dependence; like when a child reaches for the hand of his father. It is an act of submission; as when a woman reaches for her husbands hand in marriage. It is an act of love; like when two people reach for each other for acceptance and encouragement. Everyone should ReachOut. Everyone needs to ReachOut.
You're probably saying by now, ok, Ashley, enough with the sappy stuff. What do you want me to do?
What's your point?
And all I would say is: ReachOut.
I spend a lot of time in my car. I drive about thirty minutes to and from school each day. I pass a lot of people who are either in their cars, like me, walking, riding a bicycle, or standing at a bus stop. It is during the times that I'm in my car that I see people for who they are. People don't know that I'm watching them. They don't know that someone saw them let their guard down for a split second. They don't know that I saw a smile flicker across their face as they picked up the phone to answer it. None of them know that they are as easy to read as they truly are. People are transparent. I'm serious. It might seem like some people have it all together, but catch them in their car when they think that they're all alone. You can tell the exact amount of stress they are suffering from. The amount of pain and hurt of the past is all over their faces. It's a sad thing to see. But, on my morning and afternoon commutes, I often wonder how I can reach these people. How I can ReachOut.
So. How can you ReachOut?
It could be something as simple as smiling when you pass someone in the hallway or on your way into the store. You might decide that you could ReachOut by letting that angry driver on the interstate pass you, even though they were already going twenty over the speed limit. It could be something as passive as putting a motivational or inspirational bumper sticker on you car. You could even go to the extreme and try to change the world. Maybe reaching out according to you is standing on the street corner offering Free Hugs. When you get coffee, you might want to pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru. However you want to ReachOut, that's how you ReachOut. Big, small, it doesn't matter.
Some might interpret this as a post on random acts of kindness. But I don't like that term. Random acts of kindness doesn't imply that it leaves an impression on people. It doesn't imply that you went out of your way and sacrificed something to ReachOut to someone.
Now, reaching out doesn't stop with strangers. I mentioned that before. I think it's easier to ReachOut to strangers because they won't ever see you or expect anything from you again. You made an impact in their lives, and now you're gone. But, what about friends and family? This section of the post is for the more daring. It's for the ones that like a challenge that could change their lives.
My little brother is the most annoying kid ever, at least to me. Everyone else seems to like him for some reason. It's crazy. But recently, I have decided that I can fix this little problem. I am an adult. I should be able to figure these things out, right? Well, easier said than done, that's for sure. On mission to ReachOut to my brother I encountered many many obstacles, mainly because, in order to keep up my reputation I had to keep reaching out. It was ongoing and never ending. It was frustrating and aggravating, but I learned so much!
Reaching out isn't just about smiling to people and doing nice things, it's a lifestyle. It's how you treat humanity in general. It's pure craziness, but it's so awesome. ReachOut. You won't regret it.
