By the time someone is reading this article, it will be one day before the election. Usually, I would be spending my weekly article talking about the election and why one candidate is better than the other in a biased opinion. However, I want to talk about something different. While everyone in the world worries about the opinions of the election, let's take a moment to focus on the good people do every day. This article focuses on a personal philosophy of mine. As the Scout Slogan states, "Do A Good Turn Daily."

For me, doing good things makes me feel good about myself and our world. I always devote myself to doing one good thing each day. It doesn't matter what it is. Whether it's surprising a friend with a small token of appreciation, paying for someone's coffee, or smiling and saying hello, I try my best to make someone smile.

There is a story that inspires me to do what I do. My grandfather and father both passed a very important skill to me. They both do random acts of kindness every day. Never a reason to do it. Just doing it. My father brings wood to people who have fireplaces over the winter. My grandfather volunteers at the food pantry and helps with the community garden in town. Both of them never did it for a monetary cause, just for the hell of helping.

My family also owned a small pharmacy in the center of town for nearly 90 years until its closing in 2008. In that pharmacy was everything a person needed to stay healthy. My father and grandfather always came out and helped their customers. Yes, it was their job, but it was also their passion. As an example, one time during a blizzard, my father drove his van through the snow to bring someone their medicine. It was out of the goodness of heart to help his fellow customers.

From the time I arrived to campus to the time this article is published, I have done approximately 74 daily good deeds, and the number keeps growing. I do want to take a moment to tell a few quick stories of some of the deeds that left an impact on someone. One damp and gloomy morning, my friend and I were walking to one of the buildings to campus. She was telling me about the race she was going to be partaking in that weekend. As we were going in, she stopped by the Starbucks to order a coffee. As a non-coffee drinker, I just grabbed a bottle of water, but stopped my friend from paying and treated her to her drink. Flattered, she smiled and thanked me. She later asked me, as we were walking back, why I paid for it. I simply responded, "It's just something I wanted to do."

Doing a good deed doesn't always have to be a physical element either. Recently, on my way to my theory class, a dear friend of mine was going through an extremely rough day. Tears hidden in her eyes, I walked her to a private room and we sat and talked for a considerable amount of time until she calmed down. A simple hug made her day.

Emotionally, someone else inspired me to do this. One evening over the summer, I had been awaken from an insane dream. Do I remember it? No. But my friend and I fell asleep while FaceTiming. I woke them up (at 1 a.m., have you that) and they helped me calm down from the insanity from the nightmare. Unfortunately, that person and I don't talk that much since moving to college, but I still thank them for doing that every time I see them.

Of course, there is so much negativity in the world. Not everyone appreciates the good things people do. But if you take a moment to do one good thing every day, someone will smile. I hope this is a distraction from the negativity in the world, and I issue a challenge to those who read this article. Stop what you're doing, get up, and do something good for someone. It'll make someone's (and your own) day.

Thanks.